


She Laughed

by historyofamanda



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Dragon Age Quest: Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, F/M, Falling In Love, Forgiveness, Friendship, Halamshiral, Haven (Dragon Age), Hinterlands (Dragon Age), Laughter, Love, Love Confessions, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Storm Coast (Dragon Age), The Winter Palace (Dragon Age), Val Royeaux, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-08-11 03:22:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 31,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7874230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/historyofamanda/pseuds/historyofamanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of mage Inquisitor Evangelea Trevelyan, primarily her love story with Blackwall with moments of her relationships with her friends sprinkled throughout. Love, laughter, friendship, secrets, pain, forgiveness, and everything in between.</p><p>Warning: This work contains Dragon Age Inquisition spoilers!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When I First Saw You

She laughed.

He would never forget their first encounter in The Hinterlands, when he watched in awe as she systemically and masterfully struck down every enemy that came her way with the magic that so easily sprung from her fingertips. Still panting and catching her breath, Varric said something witty to her and she burst into laughter.

Her voice was melodic and joyful. The joke had struck her so much that she was bent over, trying to prevent tears from coming to her eyes.

Still giggling slightly, she held out her hand to him, a bright smile on her face.

"Ser Blackwall, I'm Evangelea Trevelyan. How do you do?"

He took this moment to quickly look her over. Her eyes were a pastel purple-gray and they shined in the sunlight. She had smooth, pale skin with a slight pink flush on her cheeks. Her hair was silver and up in a loose bun on the top of her head. Her lips were plump and a soft pink color. She was on the shorter side and petite, but had an hourglass figure with curves in all the right places.

Her hand had been reached out to him a second too long, and upon realizing this he quickly reached out to return the greeting.

"Uh, good day, my lady. Nice to meet you."

She giggled again and his heart raced. He was immediately completely blown away by her beauty but her laughter was what shook him to his core. The choice to join the Inquisition was not a difficult one.

Evangelea was the first mage he had ever known personally and as the weeks went by he found himself trying to be wherever she was, even though she seemed to always find him first.

After a long day at the Storm Coast, night fell and Sera and The Iron Bull were already asleep in their tents. Blackwall found Evangelea sitting by herself, the waves crashing against the shore. The scenery was breathtaking, the skies were full of stars and the waves reflected the moonlight. Despite the beauty of his surroundings, he found himself unable to look at anything but her. As he approached her, he saw flames flicker from her fingertips and she set the pile of wood in front of her ablaze. The way that she so easily manipulated the elements of nature without giving it a second thought never failed to amaze him. The warm glow of the fire danced across her face.

He worked up his courage and sat down beside her.

"Evening, my lady."

She perked up slightly at the sound of his voice.

"Blackwall, hi. I'm sorry if I woke you." She said, a soft smile on her face. He found that he was losing himself watching the reflection of the flickering campfire in her eyes.

"No, you didn't wake me. I was up. What keeps you up so late tonight?"

Evangelea shrugged.  
"I've never slept well, never in my life. I always fall asleep late, wake up early, and I toss and turn a lot in my sleep. So much on my mind these days. Plus, I'm really cold and I can't exactly set my tent on fire to stay warm, unfortunately."

Blackwall laughed and he saw the smile on her face grow. 

"That would probably not be best, you're right." He said, still laughing.

He looked at her with all the tenderness in the world. She was truly magic in human form, he thought. Beautiful, complex, and deadly. His thoughts raced. How did he exist before he knew her? What was life like before she was near him? How could he make sure he spent the rest of his life by her side?

Evangelea shivered, putting her hands out to the fire. On each hand one of her fingers had a thin silver band on it. He wanted desperately to reach out and intertwine his fingers with hers.

Blackwall began to remove his heavy coat. _I'm bloody sweating in front of this fire right now anyway,_ he thought. 

"Here." He said, motioning the coat to her.

"Oh no, you don't have to do that. But thank you." She responded.

"Please, take it for now. I'm not going to sit here and watch you shiver when I can do something about it."

She smiled at him. His sincerity and sweetness warmed her heart.

She took his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. A relieved sigh escaped her, and she tucked the coat around her tighter. Immediately the smell of the coat hit her and she marveled in how wonderful it was. It smelled musky, oaky, masculine. It smelled like him.

"Ahh, much better. Thank you."

Seeing her in his coat made his heart pound. It was the closest thing he had gotten to holding her, and seeing her small self in his large jacket was both amusing and endlessly endearing. Seeing her comfortable and warm pleased him. He thought she was the most perfect thing he had ever laid eyes on.

They sat in silence for a while, staring at the waves as they crashed and feeling the soft mist on their faces. They chatted idly for a while, just happy to be in each other’s company.

After some time, although the last thing he wanted to do was leave her side, he knew they had an early morning ahead and exhaustion ached through this body, so he stood up.

"Well, my lady, I'm going to head in for the night. Is there anything that you need?"

She looked up at him. She had a small smile on her face but her bright eyes were now tinged with sadness.

"No, thank you. I'm fine." She began to take off his coat.

"No no, keep it," he said suddenly. "I won't need it tonight anyway."

She nodded at him and smiled, putting the coat back on and wrapping it around herself tightly once again.

"Goodnight Blackwall." She said, her voice low and soft. "Sweet dreams."

He smiled at her. No one had ever told him to have sweet dreams before. In a life full of war and pain, every day she found a new way to bring a sweetness to the world he never thought possible.

"Sweet dreams, my lady."

Blackwall fell asleep, but nature's call had woken him up not long after. He exited out of his tent and found Evangelea asleep on the ground next to the campfire, his coat still wrapped around her.

He smiled, but concern fell over him as well. He didn't like her sleeping on the cold, wet ground when her tent and a soft place to sleep was just steps away. She was in a deep sleep, twitching slightly every once in a while. He wondered what she was dreaming about. He didn't wish to wake her, as she had make it clear that sleep did not come easy to her. He decided to reach down and scoop her up. She was much lighter than he expected, and when he picked her up she unconsciously curled up in his arms and rested her head on his chest. He marveled in his sudden closeness to her. He carefully entered her tent and laid her down gently on her cot, covering her with a blanket. He saw a book on the small table inside. "The Grey Wardens: A History." His heart swelled.

The next morning, Blackwall was the last to wake up. It was still very early and the rest of the crew was eating breakfast near the campfire. Sera and Iron Bull were having a loud conversation about which one of Josephine's assistants was the best looking while they chomped away at their breakfast.

Evangelea saw Blackwall emerging from his tent and immediately started walking towards him.

She approached him, a big, playful grin on her face.

"Good morning, Ser Warden."

"Morning, my lady. Did you sleep well?"

"I had the best night of sleep I've had in, well, I can't even remember how long. I seem to recall falling asleep near the fire but I somehow woke up in my tent this morning. I wonder how that happened?”

Blackwall was a bundle of nerves, electricity firing through him as he watched her full, soft lips move as she spoke. He wasn't sure what to say. He wasn’t sure he could even speak.

She handed him back his coat, he took it quickly in an attempt to cover that his hands were slightly shaking. 

"Thank you for this, and for moving me inside last night. You're so sweet."

She reached over and quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek, then she immediately turned away from him and walked away faster than he had time to react, a big smile on her face. 

He stood dumbfounded, unable to move from where he stood. All the blood had moved into his face and it was now bright red. He slowly reached up and touched his cheek where she had just kissed it. The coat he now held in his hand smelled just like her and that only added to the sensory overload he was experiencing. 

From across the camp he saw the Iron Bull and Sera staring at him, causing his face to further redden. 

Sera was laughing and making kissing faces, and The Iron Bull winked at him, giving him a thumbs up. 

A few days later, they had returned to Haven and Blackwall stood near the blacksmith's area, having just finished a chat with Harritt about his armor. 

"Freezing out here, huh?" 

Blackwall turned around and there she was, smiling away. She was covered in several layers of fur coats, which looked silly on her small frame. It seemed like she was always cold. The sight brought a smile to his face.

She held up her hand and rubbed her fingers together, a small but beautifully detailed snowflake appearing in her palm.

"It's so amazing to me when I look at the piles of snow everywhere just how many individual snowflakes there are that make all those piles up. Each one is unique. It's really beautiful." She looked lovingly out at the distance, wonder in her eyes. 

There was a spirit in her that he found so magnetic and refreshing. So many of his thoughts were consumed by darkness and uncertainty and any time she was near it was like a breath of fresh air.

Blackwall had been so caught up in staring at her that he had forgotten to say anything.

She was standing beside him and nudged his arm with her elbow.

"Cat got your tongue, Ser Warden?" She teased.

"Oh, I-," Blackwall cleared his throat loudly. "I suppose I'd never thought about it that way, my lady. I enjoy hearing your take on the world, it's always unlike anything I've ever heard before."

"Is that a good thing?" She said, a slight pout on her lips.

"It's a very good thing." He said with a soft smile.

She laughed. His heart sang.


	2. When We Danced

Tonight Haven was slightly warmer than it had been in weeks so most of the Inquisition were gathered around a fire, taking time to relax and enjoy themselves for a few hours. The day to close the Breach was approaching and many of the Inquisition's members were more on edge than ever before.

A few of Haven's citizens were playing instruments to lighten the mood. They began to play a song that was full of life, and quickly people stood up to dance.

Sera and Evangelea were sitting next to each other near one of the fires, cracking jokes back and forth and laughing.

Blackwall was sitting next to Varric a few feet away and Varric couldn't help but laugh as he saw that Blackwall never took his eyes off Evangelea for a single second.

"You know you're staring, right?" Varric joked.

Blackwall shook himself out of his daze.  
"Huh? What'd you say?"

"Oh never mind." Varric said. "Your mind is definitely somewhere else. Thinking about a certain pretty purple-eyed herald maybe?"

Blackwall laughed nervously.  
"Am I that obvious?" He said.

"You might as well put up a sign right in front of you that says 'I'm madly in love with you, Evangelea'. That would probably be a little subtler than what you've been doing all night." Varric said, resulting in a loud laugh from Blackwall.

Sera took Evangelea's hand and pulled her towards the area where Haven's citizens were dancing. They linked hands and their dance was silly and very fun to watch. They cracked each other up, dipping each other up and down and spinning each other around. They had become close friends quickly and every moment they spent together was always fun and silly. Evangelea admired how fearless and honest Sera always was and Sera was immediately happy to learn that Evangelea never took herself too seriously, despite her extremely sudden and unexpected rise to power and fame. 

Blackwall smiled as he watched Evangelea dance and twirl, losing himself in the way her hair flowed perfectly as she danced and the way her hips moved when she shook them back and forth. Watching her laugh over and over and smile her big beautiful smile was almost too much for him to bear.

"You could always ask her to dance, you know." Varric said, nudging Blackwall's shoulder with his elbow.

Blackwall looked back at Varric with a smug smile.  
"I'll ask her if you ask Cassandra to dance with you. Don't try to act like _you_ haven't been watching someone all night too, Varric." He said, Varric's face instantly turning bright red.

"W-what?" Varric choked out. "You're crazy."

"Mhm, that's what I thought." Blackwall said, laughing.

The song that was playing finished and Sera and Evangelea parted, doing big goofy bows at each other to finish their dance.

Sera walked off to get some of the food that was being prepared at a nearby table and another equally upbeat song began to be played by the makeshift band.

Evangelea turned and her and Blackwall's eyes met, immediately causing his face to turn red.

Evangelea walked up to him, still out of breath and laughter still in her voice.

"Care to dance with me, Ser Blackwall?" She said with a big smile.

Varric winked at Blackwall and nodded for him to go.

"I-I'm not much of a dancer, my lady." Blackwall said.

"Like I care! Did you _see_ that ridiculous dance Sera and I just did?" She replied teasingly.

Blackwall laughed and his heart skipped a beat when he felt her grab his hand, leading him to the area where she was just dancing with Sera.

She then took one of his hands and placed it on her waist, and then intertwined her fingers with his with her other hand. Blackwall gulped loudly, realizing that typically their fingers would have just laid flat on top of the other's hand so the decision to link their fingers together was entirely her choice. He felt drunk because of the sudden amount of physical contact he now had with her. 

Equally high on the moment, Evangelea’s head spun as she felt his big strong hands on her waist and his fingers around hers. She couldn't resist her desire to try to be near him as much as possible and she was thrilled he agreed to dance with her.

She led the dance, quickly moving their arms up and down to the music and the movement of her feet mimicking that of her hands. Blackwall found himself getting the hang of the dance's moves quicker than he expected, mostly because of the amazing time he was having doing them.

They moved up and down, left and right, Evangelea with a huge smile on her face the entire time. She looked right into his eyes and let out a joyful laugh, causing his heart to feel like it might explode at any moment. He smiled back at her and laughed back. Her laughter and her joy were infectious and he couldn't believe he was sharing this moment with her. It felt to him like there was no one else in the world except for them at this very moment. He spun her around, much to her surprise, and when she turned back around he dipped her down to the ground. Just before he pulled her back up Evangelea threw her head back and laughed loudly. When she moved her head back up and looked right into his eyes he was grateful he didn't drop her because at that moment his entire body felt numb. He couldn't believe the way she made him feel, the way a simple glance could shake him down to his core.

When the song ended Blackwall quickly realized that every single member of the Inquisition had been watching them throughout their entire dance as they burst into applause when they finished dancing. Evangelea and Blackwall pulled apart, and she laughed and curtsied.

Evangelea turned to Blackwall.  
"Thank you for the wonderful dance, I had so much fun! You were trying to tell me you couldn't dance, but clearly you were not telling me the truth, hmm?" She said, her voice mischievous.  
"Let's do that again sometime?" She added with a big smile.

"It was an honor to dance with you, my lady. I'd love to do that again any time."

"Oooh, see now you're done for because I will definitely take you up on that offer." She replied, laughter still in her voice.

As she walked away from him his mind was racing. The second she walked away all he wanted was for her to come back to him.

_Maker, I love her._

That was the first time he had ever actually had that exact thought in his mind. This was the moment he realized that his feelings for her were far beyond attraction, beyond any passing fancy. He was in love with her and couldn't imagine for a single second a life without her in it now.

_I love her. I really, truly love her._

Blackwall wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to wait to tell her how he felt about her. Even though he seemed almost positive that there was something between them, something real, a crippling fear of her rejection was more than he could deal with. He was full of self-doubt, sure that someone as vibrant and full of life as her would have no interest in loving a man as hardened and regretful as himself. He hoped more than he had ever hoped for anything before that it was more, that she might love him too, but he kept telling himself that she might just be as kind and friendly to him as she was with everyone. But somewhere deep down inside, despite his fears and his doubts, he knew there was something far more than just friendship between them and he needed to do something about it very soon.


	3. When We Danced, Part 2

Blackwall decided to go into the tavern early in the evening, as the cold was becoming a little too much to be outside in comfortably and something to drink sounded particularly appealing.

He walked past a door in the back of the tavern and heard a soft, sweet sound. A sound so foreign to him that he stopped dead in his tracks to listen to it.

It was humming. It was Evangelea. The moment he realized that the song was coming from her he felt his chest tighten from nerves. He stood by the door, but far enough away where she still couldn't see him as the door was cracked open slightly. He stood there for a few moments, enjoying the quiet humming of a song he'd never heard before.

He was trying desperately to come up with any excuse to knock on her door. Anything to speak to her again as he found himself constantly aching to do. After their dance the other night he thought about little else than how she felt in his arms. The only other thing he seemed to think about lately was when she kissed him on the cheek at the Storm Coast. That never left his mind.

He cleared his throat and built up his courage as best he could.

"Ahem-um-Lady Trevelyan? Is that you in there?"

She stopped humming immediately and a big smile fell on her face. Her heart beat a little faster when she heard his voice call out to her.

"Yep, it's me! Come in." She said excitedly.

Blackwall walked in and attempted to look even slightly less nervous than he felt, but he knew he was likely failing miserably.

She was sitting in front of a mirror, a hairbrush in her hand. She had some powder and other types of makeup on the vanity and a candle was lit in front of her, soft warm light moving across her face. She ran the brush through her silver hair a few more times and then set it down on the vanity.

"You know you can me Evangelea, even Lea if you'd like. I know Evangelea can be a mouthful."

Blackwall let out a small, nervous laugh. He was leaning a bit awkwardly in the doorway, his arms crossed to help prevent him from falling over.

"Please, come in. Sit, make yourself comfortable." She said as she pulled a chair that was near her bed up close to where she was sitting and patted on the seat.

He sat down, grateful for the stabilization when his legs felt so wobbly.

"It's nice to see you, how are you?" She said with a smile.

"I am well my lady, and yourself?"

"I'm doing well, thank you. Just enjoying a few quiet moments before the tavern gets really loud and busy."

"I didn't realize you were staying back here." Blackwall said. "I assumed you'd be lodging in the chantry. Or that room they had you in the first night here."

"Honestly, that chantry building always sort of gave me the creeps. Too cold, too dark, too...echo-y." She said with a laugh. "I very much prefer to stay back here rather than the first room they had me in, that was too far away from everyone and everything. The bar owner was kind enough to let me stay in this room during the time we're in Haven."

When he heard her laugh he felt all the blood rush to his face. He exhaled slowly, overwhelmed by his emotions.

"Was there something I can do for you?" She asked him.

Blackwall realized immediately he hadn't actually decided on his excuse to be there so he decided to just go with (mostly) the truth.

"I um-I just uh-I heard you humming from outside the door and I was wondering who that lovely sound was coming from. Of course it was you, everything you do is lovely."

 _Shit,_ he thought. _Nice going._

A big smile came across her face and she giggled.

"Why, thank you! You're quite lovely yourself. Sorry about the humming, I didn't realize anyone else could hear it."

"Oh no, I was enjoying it very much." He replied. "What song was it?"

"You know, I'm not actually sure. I think I came up with the melody one day when I was young and it's just been in my head ever since."

Blackwall found himself tongue tied watching her speak, the candlelight dancing across her face.

"I meant to thank you again for the wonderful dance the other night, I had an amazing time." She said, her voice slightly lower and softer.

"As did I, my lady. That was the most fun I've had in ages." He replied. 

Suddenly the conversation became less nervous, but a more serious feeling grew in the air as their eye contact lingered just a little longer than normal.

As soon as the air grew quiet between them, they heard Maryden start to play a song from the main room of the tavern. The song was slow and sweet, similar to the one Evangelea was humming.

"Oh, I love it when she plays this one! Her music is so beautiful." Evangelea said.

 _Not as beautiful as you,_ he thought. _But then again, nothing is._

Despite his nerves and the knots in his stomach he had been around long enough to know an opportunity when he saw one. He stood up and stretched out his hand to her.

"Would you care for another dance, my lady?" He said, smiling softly.

Her heart pounded with joy in her chest and she flashed him a huge, bright smile.

"Of course, always." She replied, almost dizzy with excitement.

He walked out with her to the main room of the tavern and they were alone, save for Maryden and one of the people keeping the bar who was drying some glasses. The night had just begun and people wouldn't start showing up for at least a few more minutes.

He took one of her hands in his and placed the other on her waist, her placing her hand on his shoulder in return.

They danced slowly and smoothly back and forth, making occasional nervous eye contact. He could've sworn he noticed a blush fall on her cheeks when their eyes met.

Maryden watched them from across the room and smiled, singing her song a little louder to make sure they could hear it well from across the room.

"How lucky I am to have such a skilled dance partner." Evangelea said after a few quiet moments.

"I can say the same thing." Blackwall replied, marveling in his current access to her body, the fact he was holding her close to him in a sweet, slow dance.

She looked up into his eyes and smiled, causing his heart to flutter in his chest. He would've kissed her right then and there if they had been alone, but his nerves got the better of him and he decided not to push his luck.

The song ended and they stood still in each other's arms now, neither wanting to part.

"Thank you for another wonderful dance, Ser Warden."

"It was my pleasure, my lady."

The first group of people of the evening entered the tavern and they parted, save for their hands that were still linked together. She squeezed his hand slightly as she let it go.

"Come by and visit anytime, okay?" She said sweetly.

He gulped nervously and all he found he could do was nod in response.

He watched her walk away back into her room and collapsed in a chair behind him, surprised his legs didn't go out earlier.

From across the room he saw Maryden looking at him as she strummed her lute and she smiled, nodded at him, and winked. He smiled back at her, never having been so grateful for a bard's song in his life.


	4. When I Told You

Blackwall had just fought beside Evangelea for hours, helping defend Haven against The Elder One's army of red templars. It appeared that the breach was sealed for the moment and she was very grateful that they had the rebel mages as their allies to fight these monsters, but the fight was still a brutal one. She had disappeared under the destruction of an avalanche, one she had cleverly induced with a trebuchet to stop Corypheus in his tracks. 

The minutes had turned into hours and there was still no sign of her. Blackwall wasn't showing it, but internally he was panicked. His insides ached with worry and his heart was just about broken, but he still held out hope.

Those who survived the attack on Haven set up camp in the middle of nowhere with nothing but snow for miles in every direction. It made sense to everyone that the Herald of Andraste was likely dead, either from the avalanche or the harsh weather.

Blackwall's pain must have been strewn across his face, because Varric came by and immediately put his hand on Blackwall's shoulder.

"Hey. I'm sure she'll make it out of this alright." Varric said quietly.

Blackwall looked up at Varric and forced a small smile.

"I sure hope so." Blackwall said, worry thick in his voice.

"I know how you feel about her." Varric continued, "And I know she feels the same way about you."

Blackwall sat up quickly, taken aback by Varric's statement. "You what? How do you know that?"

"Oh come on. Everyone has seen the way she looks at you, the way she always seems to be where you are. Whenever she finished talking to you we found her humming and damn near dancing around the village. That dance you shared with her the other night where you both couldn't keep your eyes off each other? The way she looked at you that night, that giant smile on her face seemed like enough to prove it to me. Isn't it obvious?"

This information was startling to him and while he was overjoyed to learn for certain that she returned his feelings, that knowledge made the pain and ceaseless worry he was feeling that much worse.

"When she gets out of this you've got to tell her." Varric said.

Blackwall sighed. "I know."

Varric gave Blackwall a few sympathetic pats on the shoulder and walked away.

Another hour had passed and the last few glimmers of hope he had left were beginning to fade away as the snowstorm was getting worse by the minute.

Blackwall had just about given up when he heard Cassandra and Cullen's yells from across the camp.

"There! It's her!" Cullen yelled as him and Cassandra began to run.

"Thank the Maker!" Cassandra exclaimed, relief flooding her voice.

Blackwall ran up alongside Cassandra and Cullen as fast as his legs could take him. He reached down and picked up Evangelea, slumped over and near unconscious from exhaustion. Cullen and Cassandra allowed him to proceed in taking care of her. He carried her to a nearby cot and did not leave her side the entire time she slept. His heart and mind were overwhelmed, he was drowning in relief. He had never felt this way about anyone, and nearly losing her forever, the pain that caused him, solidified how much she meant to him.

She woke up a few hours later, still exhausted but now warm and comfortable. When Blackwall saw her from across the camp, she had layers and layers of blankets surrounding her and she pulled them tighter as she spoke to Mother Giselle. Mother Giselle walked away to attend to some of the now-refugees of Haven and Blackwall quickly took his chance to speak to her before everyone else realized she was awake.

Evangelea saw Blackwall approaching her and she gave him the sweetest smile she could manage with the little energy she had left.

"Well, hello," she said. "You're a sight for sore eyes. Literally, like every part of my body hurts. I think my eyes are actually sore." Her unending sense of humor combined with his relief caused him to let out a guttural laugh. She laughed along with him, and when they finished laughing she noticed that his overall demeanor became much more serious.

"Evangelea," he began. "There is something very important that I need to speak to you about. I-um, damn. This sounded much better the hundred times I said it in my head." He sat up straighter and looked right into her eyes.

"I care for you, my lady. A great deal. You are the most amazing woman I have ever met, and I have so much respect and admiration for you. It has truly been my honor to serve the Inquisition and fight alongside you, but I want our relationship to be more. After I almost just lost you forever, I knew I couldn't wait a moment longer to tell you how I feel about you."

She stared at him, a brightness flaring in her eyes that he knew was not there just moments ago. He had just poured his heart out to her and here he was, vulnerable, silent, waiting.

She took both of his hands in hers, his mind set ablaze the moment she touched him. Her hands were soft and delicate, and warm in his. 

"I care for you too, Blackwall. Very much. Falling into the avalanche was absolutely terrifying, and one of the first things I thought when I started falling was how heartbroken I was that I might never get to see you again. You have been so sweet and endlessly kind to me and the best part of all of this madness has been that I got the chance to meet you. From the moment I met you I knew I never wanted to be apart from you again."

The sincerity of her words touched him, and as he was about to reply, she continued,

"And you're ridiculously handsome too. Like, ridiculously. I have done nothing but stare at you for weeks, I swear." She exhaled, a silly grin spreading across her face. "Whew, felt good to get that out. Sera's been listening to me say it forever now and I'm sure she's sick of hearing it."

Blackwall let out a laugh. That endlessly silly attitude on a woman with such serious tasks ahead of her was exactly why he knew he was falling in love with her.

"Coming from the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, that's a big compliment. I can only dream of being someone you want by your side, my lady."

"Then consider yourself dreaming." She said with a mischevious smile. She stood up slowly and he did the same, a worried look on his face.

"Are you alright? Don't push yourself too hard. You've been through enough for one day." He said to her.

She then rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly and burying her face in his chest.

He had been waiting for this embrace for so long that when it finally happened, he just stood there for a moment, his arms out to his sides. The warmth of her body on his calmed his nerves and he wrapped his arms around her, laying his head down on top of hers and kissing the top of her head. After a minute or so, they pulled apart slightly and she looked up at him, her eyes glistening. He was much taller than her and he never quite realized this height difference entirely until she was in his arms. When he looked down into her eyes, she was beaming. She let out a laugh, the laugh that stole his heart away the first time they met, and for once he was able to react the way he had wanted to for so long. He reached down and kissed her deeply, her lips smooth and soft on his. He took her face in both of his hands and pulled it towards him, deepening the kiss even further. She still had her arms wrapped around his waist and she hugged him tighter. After a few moments their lips finally parted.

"FINALLY!!!!" They heard Sera scream from across the camp. "Now I don't have to listen to her go on and on about oooh he's so handsome and oooh his beard and ooh his muscles and ooooh ooh ooooooh!" 

Evangelea laughed at Sera's remarks.  
"See? Told you." She said to Blackwall, making the big smile on his face grow even larger.

"Way to go, big guy!" The Iron Bull yelled out.

Varric gave Blackwall and Evangelea a knowing smile, while Cassandra's mouth hung open in surprise behind him.

"That...is not a pairing I would have expected." Cassandra said.

Varric looked over at her. "With all the death and destruction we've all been seeing lately, it's good to have a little romance around here."

"I think it works, actually." Dorian responded with a slight smile, his arms folded. "He's as rugged as a man could possibly be and she's the embodiment of sweetness, if sweetness was also deadly and could burn your face off anytime it wanted to."

Cassandra grunted and walked away.

Evangelea wrapped one arm around Blackwall's waist and smiled brightly at her friends. She laughed and Blackwall turned to her to kiss her again.

"Alright, get a room you two!" Dorian said, laughter in his voice.

"There are no rooms here." Cole said, appearing by Dorian suddenly.

"Oh, right." Dorian replied.

Evangelea let out another big laugh and it was so booming and infectious that everyone else followed. Soon the entirety of her inner circle (except Cole, who stood still with a deeply confused expression on his face) burst out into a chorus of cathartic laughter. After everything they had all just been through, it felt so good to find something to laugh about.


	5. When You Found Me

Upon arriving at Skyhold, the other members of the Inquisition wasted no time officially making Evangelea their Inquisitor. Blackwall watched her as she stood up at the top of the stairs, Leliana placing the ceremonial sword in her hands. The sword was twice as big as she was but she held it like it was no trouble whatsoever. Cullen had rallied the troops and civilians surrounding him so excitedly that even Josephine couldn't help but yell out, much to her immediate embarrassment. Blackwall and Sera were standing next to each other and pride was glowing in his eyes. 

Sera rested her elbow on his shoulder and said to him in an uncharacteristically quiet voice,  
"You nabbed a good one, yeah? I like you, but do anything to hurt her and I'll put an arrow through you faster than you can blink."

Blackwall laughed, but his stomach flooded with guilt. His mind was filled with thoughts of how he didn't deserve her, how much better someone so wonderful could do than to be with the sad broken man that he had become.

So much chaos surrounded her, but Evangelea locked eyes with Blackwall and his heart filled with emotion. No one had ever made him feel this way. He felt like he was dreaming every time her amethyst eyes met his.

The celebration ended and Evangelea was quickly whisked away by her advisors to attend to some important matters.

Blackwall set off to find a place of his own in this massive fortress that the Inquisition made its new home.

He walked the grounds and eventually came to a back area that had clearly been used as stables. The visual was immediately comforting to him, amber trees surrounding a warm wooden structure. He settled here, grateful for a quiet place after such a loud day. A few hours passed and he had made a fire and was sitting enjoying its warmth as the night grew cold.

"Hey there."

He turned around quickly and stood up.

She stood at the entrance to the stable in a long coat, her hair pulled up in a ponytail.

He was overjoyed. "Good evening, my lady." 

"I've been looking all over for you. This place is easy to get lost in," she said, her eyes scoping out the building.

Blackwall laughed slightly. "It sure is. My apologies, I knew you would be busy with getting things settled around here, so I decided to look around myself and this is where I ended up."

She walked up to him and got as close as she could to him without them touching. The air between them was electric.

"I like it here." She said, moving her face even closer to his. 

He suddenly became aware of his heart pounding in his chest. He wondered if she could hear it. 

"It's nice and warm here, quiet too." She continued. "But you know what makes this place perfect?" She said in almost a whisper, now moving her lips not even an inch away from his.

"What's that?" He said, breathless.

"You're here." She said, and immediately she moved in and pressed her lips to his, sweetly but forcefully.

He gasped slightly upon her touch and quickly took her by the waist with one arm, placing his other hand on her cheek.

Their lips did not part for several minutes and when they did, they opened their eyes and when he looked into hers they were fiery, passionate. He did not know how he lived without her kiss before now, without her in his arms.

"You don't mind if I stop by here now and then, do you?" She said, biting her lower lip slightly.

"How about you just never leave?" He replied, pulling her back in for more kisses.

She let out a small laugh as he pulled her in and his mind caught fire once again.


	6. When You Took My Breath Away

A month had passed and the entire Inquisition had been working tirelessly to improve Skyhold, recruit and train their soldiers, and take care of the refugees who made it to the fortress seeking sanctuary.

"A vacation? In the middle of everything?" Cullen said, a hard frown on his face.

"It's not a vacation, Commander. It's just a few days for all of us to get away from Skyhold and relax!" Evangelea said.

"Inquisitor, I'm sure that now is not the time to-" Josephine began.

The Inquisitor put her hand up to cut Josephine off before she could continue.

"Cullen. Josephine. Leliana. Hear me out, alright? Solas has done nothing but spend all day helping renovate Skyhold and the rest of his time he spends cooped up in that room of his. Varric and Cassandra are about ready to bite each other's heads off. Sera has been out helping the refugees almost all day every day and at night when she's not in the tavern downstairs having drinks she's shooting arrows into her ceiling out of frustration over feeling like she hasn't done enough to help. Cole looks exhausted. More so than usual. Dorian has gone through almost every book in our library, The Iron Bull looks like he's ready to punch through a wall, and-"

"Okay, I get your point." Cullen said, exhaustion obvious in his face. "You may be right. My apologies Inquisitor. Sometimes with everything being so nonstop I get so caught up in my own work that I forget to stop and check on how the rest of the crew is doing."

"We have plenty of people working in Skyhold that can keep things afloat for a few days. Please, you guys?" Evangelea pleaded.

Josephine and Leliana looked at eachother and Leliana cracked a smile.

"She's right, you know." Leliana said.

Josephine sighed. "I know."

Josephine smiled, defeated but also relieved.

"Alright Inquisitor, a few days off it is. Where is it you're planning on having us go, exactly?" Josephine said.

A big smile spread across Evangelea's face. "I know just the place!"

Evangelea, her entire inner circle and her advisors arrived at their destination a few days later.

The building they approached was very large, clearly with plenty of space to hold all thirteen of them.

"Whoa, this place is huge." Varric said.

"Warm fireplaces, crackling in the night. Splashes of cool water, the slippery feel of leaves in your fingers. Good, happy memories." Cole said. A small smile fell across his face. "I like it here."

"You haven't even been inside yet!" Sera yelled.

Evangelea stepped off her horse and approached the door where an older, well dressed man was standing.

"Denry!" She exclaimed, running into his arms and embracing him.

"Lea darling, it is so good to see you. It has been far too long."

She hugged him tightly and then turned around to face the rest of the group.

"Everyone, this is Denry. He has been serving the Trevelyan family for the last 40 years. He may work for us, but he's family. I owe so much to this wonderful, wonderful man."

"It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you all." Denry said, bowing slightly.

"This is an estate of my family's that we used to spend holidays at when I was young, before I went into the Circle." Evangelea began. "This place means a lot to me, and I couldn't think of anywhere better to spend a few days off with all of you. Please come inside!"

The estate was large, but cozy. Several fireplaces were lit and moonlight shined through the windows. Everyone looked around and eventually set their things down in one of the 6 bedrooms.

"Holy shit!" Varric said, looking out of the back window.

Everyone came to investigate and several mouths dropped at the sight.

In the backyard of the estate was an enormous swimming hole, surrounded by the light of torches. Surrounding the pool were countless dark green weeping willow trees, hanging down above the water. The lush greenery and the sparkling crystal clear pool was truly a beautiful sight to behold. 

"I call dibs on the pool in the mornin'!" Sera yelled from the back of the house. "It's been way too bloody hot outside lately."

After everyone got settled in the house, the group gathered in the main living area. Dorian had found the estate's study within minutes of entering and had already scoured the library. He was curled up with a book in the corner of the room in the biggest, cushiest chair to be found. Sera and the Iron Bull sat near the kitchen, having already delved into the extensive alcohol cabinet. Vivienne, Leliana, and Solas had retired to their quarters early, exhausted from the trip.

Evangelea, Blackwall, Cullen, Josephine, Varric, and Cole were all seated at a dining table playing a game of Wicked Grace.

Evangelea spent most of the evening telling stories of her antics at the Circle, like setting some of the stricter and more unpleasant templars' documents on fire, freezing the water in their glasses right as they were about to drink them, sneaking out at night to practice their barrier making skills in the nearby forests, drawing on other mages faces while they slept, and all kinds of other teenage antics that kept the table rolling with laughter.

As they played, Blackwall took time to savor this moment, to enjoy every single second and how wonderful it was. He was surrounded by friends who cared for him, and this amazing, incredible, beautiful, breathtaking woman at the table across from him was his to kiss, to hold, to be near, any time he wished. She lit up every single room she walked into and she made him laugh like no one ever had. 

Cassandra wiped a tear from her eyes as she doubled over in her chair laughing.  
"There is absolutely no way you got away with that!" She yelled.

Evangelea winked at her, her eyes twinkling. "With the right lightning spell and a well-placed confusion grenade, you can get away with almost anything!"

"You really are something else Inquisitor, and we love you for it!" Varric chimed in. He raised his glass.

"To our illustrious and hilarious leader, Evangelea!" Varric toasted. The table clinked its glasses together and finished up their last game, Josephine winning as usual.

"Alright everyone, I am exhausted. Time for bed." Josephine said, scooting away from the table.

Varric looked over and saw Sera passed out on a fluffy rug on the floor near the fireplace and Iron Bull strung out asleep on the couch near her, drooling onto the arm of the couch.

Evangelea giggled. "Just leave them."

The first night, Blackwall retired to his room that he had chosen to share with Sera, not wanting to make any presumptions about his place in the estate. Evangelea had her own private room, the one she had stayed in as a child. After a long, happy, and slightly drunken night, the Inquisition's core members took a night of well-deserved sleep, with no specified time to wake up in the morning.

The next morning, one by one the crew emerged from their rooms, sleepily stepping out into the hallways. 

"I smell food." The Iron Bull said, rubbing his eye. 

Denry and the kitchen staff had prepared a large banquet sized spread of food for everyone, consisting of every kind of fruit and meat and cheese imaginable.

Varric looked at the impressive display. "It feels good to be a Trevelyan for a weekend!" He said.

Blackwall was out preparing a plate of food for himself and he turned and saw Evangelea emerging from her room. He immediately did a double take as he saw something he had never seen before: her legs.

It was comfortably warm at the estate at all times, far different from the cold mountain weather at Skyhold. Evangelea emerged wearing soft blue cotton shorts and a loosely tied teal colored robe with a white tank top underneath. Her hair was loosely tied in a messy, bright silver bun and some pieces of hair flowed down her face. Her legs were a golden olive color, soft and smooth and she had on no shoes, revealing light purple painted toenails. Even though everyone in the Inquisition were still in their sleeping clothes, none of them had ever seen their Inquisitor dressed this casually and the entire room stopped to stare at her. They then almost immediately shifted their stares over to Blackwall, whose face was now flushed. 

Evangelea had all eyes on her and to most people that would've been intimidating, but she just flashed her famous big smile.

"Good morning everyone!"

"She's so pretty." Sera said to herself. "Kind of annoying how pretty she is, innit?" she said, nudging The Iron Bull.

"Yeah, she's a real pretty one," Bull agreed, "She's more like a little sister to me, but she's a looker, no question. Blackwall's definitely a lucky man."

Vivienne was standing near Bull, sipping on a cup of tea. She was in a delicate and beautiful morning robe, but she had not left her room until her makeup was done to perfection as usual.

"Something needs to be done about that hair, but she is ravishing as always. Look at Blackwall, he took one look at her and he's a mess. It's sort of charming, really." Vivienne said with an amused smile other face.

Evangelea walked in almost a dancing motion up to Blackwall, who was just standing in front of the food holding his plate, his eyes fixated on her. She reached over and kissed his cheek. "Good morning!" she said, a big bright smile on her face, her cheeks rosy. "Denry, thank you so much for all of this! It looks so amazing!" 

Evangelea looked over at the two elves who were standing beside Denry. One of them had jet black hair and light blue eyes, her face soft and kind. The other had red hair and green eyes, her cheeks covered in freckles. They both had delighted expressions on their face. Immediately after she saw them, Evangelea's eyes widened with excitement. "Alahna! Rivera!" She cried out, and ran up to hug them both. She wrapped her arms around both of them and squeezed tightly. "I have missed you both so much, how are you?"

"We are well, Miss Lea. We have missed you too! We have been so worried about you, but all of the staff is so proud of everything you've accomplished. It's an honor to have the Inquisition here."

Dorian leaned over to the Iron Bull and said quietly, "I have been around the upper echelons of society my entire life, and I have never seen anyone treat her servants as well as she does. She doesn't even act like they work here, they're just her friends. It's remarkable."

"Remarkable indeed," said Cullen. "The Trevelyans are a relatively powerful noble house and unless you knew her name upon meeting her you'd never even suspect she came from such a powerful background."

"Not surprising," Bull replied. "She's never acted like she came from money or power one second as long as I've known her. It's almost like she knows it, but remains blissfully unaware that her status really means anything or that she could be bitchy about it if she wanted to."

"That's why we love 'er," Sera chimed in, "She's the least nobley noble I've ever known, and that's a big part of what makes her a-okay in my book."

Blackwall gulped loudly and tried to prevent his hands from trembling. _Why can't I ever seem to get myself together around her_ , he thought. _She could ask me for the entire world and damn it I would find a way to get it for her._

"G-good morning, my lady. You're looking ravishing as always." He said, his face deeply flushed.

"Well thank you!" She said brightly. "You're looking quite ravishing yourself." She said with a giggle and a wink.

Everyone sat around and chatted while they ate. Josephine and Cullen broke the trip's rules about working and discussed various mission plans while Vivienne and Solas spoke about the pros and cons of various staff attachments. 

In the backyard, sunlight reflected off the shimmering water of the pool and the trees moved softly in the breeze. The day was warm, sunny, and beautiful. After everyone had finished their breakfasts, Sera came out of her room in a red and yellow one piece swimsuit and immediately started running towards the pool.

"Are we swimmin' or what?!?!" she yelled, followed by a massive cannonball into the water.


	7. When You Told Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some NSFW content is in this chapter!

Following Sera's lead, the rest of the Inquisition crew changed into their bathing suits and dived into the pool. The water was crystal clear, cool, and perfectly refreshing on the warm summer day. Sera, The Iron Bull, Varric, and Cullen were playing a game of chicken, where Sera was on Bull's shoulders, Varric was on Cullen's and they attempted to knock each other down. 

"Come on Curly, you call yourself coordinated?! We can take these two!" Yelled Varric, attempting to balance himself.

"Maker's breath Varric, stop moving so much!" Cullen replied.

Sera and the Iron Bull took this argument as their chance and crashed into the two, causing them both to backflop in the water. Sera and Bull burst into uproarious laughter and high fived each other. The splash from Varric and Cullen's defeat caused Dorian to give them an annoyed look and move backwards to the edge of the pool so his book didn't get wet. Vivienne was lying out on a chair near the edge of the water, sunning herself and napping. 

Varric came to the surface of the water and started laughing. "You guys got this one, but next time you're going down!"

"Yeah right, you wish!" Sera responded.

Blackwall had just walked out to the backyard.

"Hey Hero!" Varric called out to him. "Where's your girl! You and her vs. Bull and Sera, I gotta see this!"

Blackwall laughed, and he was about to respond when Evangelea stepped outside to the backyard.

"You're going down!" Evangelea cried out. She looked Blackwall up and down. He was extremely fit, but wide and his chest was covered in dark, thick hair. He wore swimming trunks that revealed his muscular legs. She found herself undressing him with her eyes, and he could tell.

She had on a light metallic lilac one piece bathing suit that was cut out on the sides, revealing the curve of her hips. The suit accentuated every single one of her features and immediately upon seeing her, Blackwall's blood ignited.

 _Maker's balls,_ he thought. _I'm the luckiest man in history._

He ran up to her and scooped her up, and she let out a chorus of delighted laughter upon being picked up. Blackwall jumped into the pool with her still in his arms, her letting out a playful scream as they splashed into the water.

They came to the surface and Evangelea playfully punched Blackwall in the arm, feigning anger.

"This water's freaking freezing!" She said.

"What's this, Lady Inquisitor?" Sera teased. "Too ch-ch-ch-chilly to play with us?"

Evangelea looked Sera dead in the eyes and smiled.

"Let's do this." Evangelea said.

She situated herself on Blackwall's shoulders. He marveled at the access to her legs. They were perfect and unbelievably soft, he thought. He held onto her tightly as he watched Sera and Evangelea's tiny frames wrestle above him. Blackwall and Iron Bull laughed loudly as the battle raged on. Eventually, Evangelea grabbed on to Sera's shoulders just right and pushed, sending her and The Iron Bull careening down into the water.

Sera and Bull emerged, spitting water out of their mouths.

"You win this round, boss!" Bull said, laughter still in his voice.

"Who's the chilly one now, hmm?" Evangelea said teasingly to Sera.

Sera stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at Evangelea.

Evangelea was still laughing as she wrapped her arms around Blackwall's neck, the two floating in the water.

"How are you doing today, ser?" She said to him, her cheeks red from having laughed so long.

"Better than ever, my lady." He said, his eyes blissful.

She surprised him by leaning close into his ear.  
"I can think of something to make today even better, if you're interested." She whispered. Her tone of voice alone was enough for him to not ask any questions.

She took his hand and they both got out of the water, grabbing the towels set out on the ground for them. As they walked back into the house, Dorian, Varric, and Bull stood next to eachother at the edge of the pool. Varric handed Bull a silver coin.

"Told you he was gonna get laid on this trip." Bull said.

"We all knew that," Varric responded, "But I didn't think she'd be the one to initiate it."

Dorian laughed. "She's all sweet on the surface but there's some serious fire under all that sweet, I assure you. One of the benefits of not being attracted to women is that women like our Inquisitor tend to confide quite a bit in me. She's absolutely crazy about him, I'm surprised this took this long."

Cole appeared next to them, rising up from the bottom of the pool. His hair was slicked back fully exposing his face, a rare sight.

"Where has she gone? They left so suddenly, are they alright? Do they need any help?"

Varric chuckled. "No kid, they're fine. Trust me. Let me try to explain this to you the best that I can..."

Back inside the house, Evangelea led Blackwall by his hand into her room, shutting the door behind them quickly. 

She crashed her lips to his, her breaths now heavy and her eyes filled with need. She tugged on his swim trunks, pushing them down on the floor and revealing him in his entirety to her.

Their lips never parting, he scrambled to peel her wet bathing suit off of her, untying the string knot around her neck and then sliding the entire suit down and off her feet.

Now with no clothing to get in their way, she pushed him down onto her bed and moved on top of him, wasting no time. Their lovemaking was frenzied and passionate and let out so many months of unresolved tension that ached through them both. Blackwall learned that afternoon that magic could be used in ways he'd never even dreamed of.

Solas passed by the Inquisitor's door and was about to knock on it, but when he heard the sounds emanating from the room he just stood there for a moment, slightly dumbfounded, and immediately upon understanding what was occurring he quickly walked past the door. He passed Cullen in the hallway.

"Is the Inquisitor in there? I need to speak with her about-"

"I assure you Commander, she is otherwise VERY occupied at the moment." Solas said, a smirk on his face.

"She's what? She's-oh. OH." Cullen cleared his throat. "Yes, um, yes, I see. Alright. Thank you." Cullen turned around immediately and walked back outside alongside Solas.

After they finished, Evangelea and Blackwall laid on her bed, holding each other close.

"You are everything I've ever dreamed of, Lea." Blackwall said to her as he stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "My world has meaning because you're in it."

She looked into his eyes and put her hand on his cheek.

"I love you." She said.

Blackwall was overwhelmed by her words. Every emotion possible flooded through him, but one emotion had been there all along, from the moment he first saw her: love. He had been madly in love with her since he heard her laugh, since the second their eyes met. So much about him had not been the truth, but this was something he knew was perhaps the only thing he had ever been one hundred percent certain about.

"I love you more than life itself, my darling." He said, their lips meeting once again.


	8. When We Spent One Last Day Away

After an entire day of sunshine, water, and relaxation the last night of the trip came upon the Inquisition. Everyone seemed sad to see the trip end, even Cullen and Josephine, who worked through most of it.

Evangelea was laying on her stomach near the fireplace, flipping through Varric's latest chapter of _Swords and Shields._ Cassandra had gotten her hooked on the series and knowledge of the Inquisitor's interest in the books skyrocketed their sales throughout Thedas, much to Varric's delight. Dorian sat on a loveseat behind her reading a book on Tevinter history in one hand and sipping a cup of tea in the other. Dorian looked at the Inquisitor for a moment, a smile on his face. He never ceased to be amazed at how a woman with the fate of literally the entire world in her hands managed to take quiet moments like this and lose herself in a book with the most pleasant of expressions on her face. She looked truly at peace, like she didn't have a concern in the world.

"This is a very good thing you've done, Inquisitor." Dorian said quietly.

She turned her head to look at him.  
"What thing?" She replied.

"This whole trip, everything about it. Look at how much good it's done for everyone. Look at Varric and Cassandra over there, laughing and chatting about that hideous smut you call a book that you're reading. They're both hopelessly in love with each other and won't admit it, but that's a whole different story. Cullen and Josephine have worked far too much during this trip, but far less than I expected. Cullen spent several hours today enjoying time in the water and Josephine has been having a ball catching up with Leliana, they've been almost inseparable. Cole has socialized more in the last two days than I've ever seen him and Vivienne's been far less of a prude than usual. Plus, seeing you and Blackwall have time together that's just for leisure instead of constantly being on battlefields fighting together has been a most welcome sight. This trip was a wonderful idea, my dear. Thank you forcing your advisors to make this happen."

Evangelea smiled brightly at her dear friend.  
"Thank you, love. I knew this would be just the thing everyone needed."

After several more hours of drinking, dancing, singing, laughing, and a much needed night with no thoughts of Corypheus, rebel mages, and red templars, the Inquisition retired to their chambers for the last night of the trip.

Blackwall and Evangelea woke up the next morning in each other's arms.  
"My darling, we have to get up. We have to leave in an hour." Blackwall said, his voice low and gravely.

Evangelea turned over and curled herself up into their blanket.  
"Mmm, no. Don't want to." She said softly, her eyes still shut.

"Come on love, we need to start our day."

He began to gently kiss along her jawline and while her eyes were still closed, a smile spread across her face and he heard her softly exhale. After a few moments, she turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him and kissing him deeply.

Their lips parted for just a moment and she moved herself on top of him, sitting up on his hips. She slowly pulled her nightgown up over her head and threw it across the room, leaving her completely bared.

"This though, this I'll wake up for." She said, her voice like warm honey.

An hour had passed and the Inquisition had completely packed up and were loading up their carriages outside the front of the estate.

Evangelea stood outside the front door, saying her goodbyes to the estate's staff.

"Goodbye Denry. I love you and I'll miss you so much! Thank you so much for taking such good care of my friends these last few days. You're the best. Like you didn’t already know that."

Denry laughed. "I love you too, Lea. Please take care of yourself and be safe out there, alright? Your family and all of their staff are always so worried about you. Please write to us more often."

Evangelea stuck out her pinky to Denry with the most serious of expressions on her face, and when Denry wrapped his pinky around hers her expression shifted into a big smile.

"Pinky swear. I'll write every week." She said.

She hugged Denry tightly and then turned to the two elven women standing beside him.

"Alahna, Rivera, I will miss you both so much. Thank you so much for everything."

"We will miss you too, Miss Lea." Alahna replied, her voice small and thickly accented.  
"It was very exciting to meet the famous Inquisition!" Rivera squeaked.

Evangelea laughed and then hugged them both, kissing them both on the cheek as she pulled away.

Cullen approached Denry and shook his hand.  
"On behalf of the entire Inquisition I want to thank you very much sir for all of your hospitality. To you as well, ladies." He said, motioning to Alahna and Rivera. The girls giggled nervously.

"It has been an honor, Commander." Denry replied, his voice soft and sincere.

Varric stood beside Blackwall looking at the front of the estate, his arms crossed.  
"I'm actually really gonna miss this place. When the Inquisitor mentioned taking everyone on a vacation I thought Curly was going to completely lose his shit but somehow she pulled this off and this turned out to be the best weekend I've had in years. You're a really lucky bastard, Blackwall. You know that, right?"

"I sure do. I'm going to miss this place as well. Excellent memories were made here." Blackwall replied.

"Oh, I bet." Varric replied with a wink and nudge, causing a big laugh to escape from Blackwall.

Evangelea approached Blackwall and Varric.  
"I'm all set!" she said, turning to Cullen.  
"Everyone ready to go, Commander?"

"Yes, Inquisitor," Cullen replied. "Thank you for sharing your family's estate with all of us, it's been a wonderful few days."

"Of course! Anytime we want to come back, we can. All of you are always welcome here." She replied.

"I'm definitely thinking that this should be annual thing, considering we all survive another year and everything." Varric said.

Evangelea laughed.  
"Let's plan on surviving, okay?"


	9. When You Wore That Dress (Part 1)

"I am not wearing that." Evangelea said, a disgusted look on her face.

"Inquisitor, this outfit is very traditional for organizations such as the Inquisition to wear at formal events and will go over quite well at the Winter Palace, I assure you." Josephine said, surprised by the Inquisitor's defiance. Normally she was not confrontational about much of anything, but she had very much put her foot down about this particular issue.

"Look, you can all wear this terrible red-yellow-blue thing that looks like a glorified bathrobe, but I refuse. I wear uncomfortable armor 90% of the time and look like a grease ball at the end of every day. I get to go to one fancy party as Inquisitor, and regardless of the fact that we're going for the Inquisition to stop a potential assassination, I am wearing what I choose to wear." 

Josephine sighed. "Alright, Inquisitor. You seem very set on this decision, so would you at least do me the favor of showing me what it is you're planning on wearing?"

Evangelea’s face brightened and she nodded, taking Josephine's hand and pulling her quickly.

Once inside her quarters Evangelea walked over to her wardrobe, pulled out a garment and laid it down flat on the bed for Josephine to see.

"Oh my," Josephine began, "That is magnificent. If you had told me this is what you were wanting to wear this entire time there is no reason we should have argued for so long." Evangelea laughed and playfully curtsied in response.

"I'm glad that you approve!" She said.

It was the morning before the Inquisition left for Halamshiral and everyone was getting dressed and ready for the Grand Ball.

Evangelea was in her quarters, putting the finishing touches on her makeup while Josephine helped her style her hair. Josephine had put the Inquisitor’s hair up in a delicate soft bun on the top of her head, with a few strands of curled silver hair streaming down her face.

"You look positively radiant, Inquisitor. You'll fit right in at the Winter Palace." Josephine said, admiring her work.

"Thank you so much Josephine!" Evangelea said. "My hair looks wonderful, you're an artist. I had no idea you were so good at styling hair!"

"Oh, goodness, thank you Inquisitor. I used to always help my sister with her hair growing up. If I didn't it would always be in a ratted mess, I assure you." Josephine laughed.

"Go on now, get out of here and get ready yourself! I've taken too much of your time as it is." Evangelea said, applying some blush to her cheeks.

"Ser Blackwall is going to positively fall over when he sees you, I'm sure of it." Josephine said, causing Evangelea to turn around and flash her a big smile. "I will see you shortly, my lady! Do not be late for the carriages!"

All of the Inquisition's core members were gathered in a room outside of the area where they were to be loaded into their carriages. Everyone was there except the Inquisitor.

From the top of the stairs Evangelea began to descend down to the floor where everyone else was waiting, and immediately all eyes in the room turned to her.

She was wearing a shining light purple and silver colored gown, with rainbow light reflecting off the dress depending on how she turned. The fabric had two layers, the top layer was sheer and reflective with a soft satin layer underneath. The dress had two very thin strips holding it on to her shoulders and the neckline accentuated her chest in a tasteful but also very flattering and sensual way. It fit tighter down to the top of her hips and then flowed out gently, moving like water around her legs. Every hair was perfectly in place and her eyes were covered in a shimmering light purple shadow with soft black and silver liner that made her lilac eyes stand out even brighter than usual. She wore long silver diamond earrings and a silver necklace with a thin chain and a single small circular diamond at the bottom. Her cheeks were blushed pink and a smile never left her face.

Blackwall turned to look at her and was stopped completely dead in his tracks, his jaw dropping immediately upon seeing her. She looked like a goddess amongst mortals, he thought. Truly an ethereal being. And she was his, his to touch, to hold, to love. _Maker, she is perfect,_ he thought. _How can I possibly deserve someone like her?_

Snapping him out of his love-drunk daze was Sera, who was standing beside him.

"Holy shit." Sera said.

The Iron Bull playfully wolf whistled at Evangelea and this caused her to erupt with laughter, breaking any sort of attempt at composure that Blackwall had left. She still had no idea that her laugh could break him so easily, that he would do anything in the world just to hear her laugh.

Blackwall approached the Inquisitor at the bottom of the stairs, holding out his hand. "My lady." He said, his heart pounding. She took his hand as she descended the final few stairs and he kissed the top of her hand.

"You are….unbelievably beautiful. Just breathtaking. You are perfection, my darling." He said, having to remind himself to breathe.

Evangelea looked Blackwall over. He was in dark blue formal attire that was just tight enough to accentuate all the rights parts of his body. His hair was slicked back and his beard freshly groomed. She felt her heart race at the sight of him and she couldn't wait for their first moment alone. But when he approached her the first thing she noticed was that he was wearing some kind of cologne he had never worn before, and the scent of it nearly made her go mad with desire for him. 

Once they arrived at the Winter Palace, Blackwall watched in awe as the woman he loved effortlessly mingled with all the nobles. He felt pride rather than jealousy when he saw other men at the ball staring at Evangelea's beauty because he knew she only had eyes for him. She floated around the ballroom like a dancer, soft, smooth, and calculated.

Later in the evening, Blackwall was sitting by himself in a chair, watching the nobles play the Game. Evangelea approached him from behind and he jumped slightly when she whispered in his ear.

"Hey there handsome. How's about you and me get out of here, hmm?"

He knew that sweet, soft voice right away and when he turned his head around to look at her she immediately placed her lips on his. They kissed a second longer than was probably proper, resulting in a few surprised glances from onlookers.

She walked in front of him and he stood up from his chair.

"My lady, how is the evening going for you?"

She stuck her tongue out, making him laugh.

"This stuff is all so silly, the politics and the sweet talking and the blackmail and blah blah blah. I'm glad you're here, though. That’s made everything much better."  
  
“I’m glad to hear that.” Blackwall responded. “You’re much better at this than I am though, this whole fancy party is not something I’d ever be a part of if it wasn’t for the Inquisition.” He said.

She took both of his hands in hers and gave him a look that made him weak in the knees.

“Hey, this job has some benefits, right?” She teased.

She leaned into him and softly kissed him once again.

"Won't you follow me, Ser Warden?" She said, her eyes fiery.

He gulped and could only nod. Maybe one day he'd find a way to compose himself around her, but today was not that day. _Not in that dress,_ he thought.

She took him to an empty corridor and slid into a corner almost entire consumed by darkness.

Immediately upon entering the darkness she took his face in both of her hands and crashed her lips onto his, their tongues making contact quickly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and he felt a familiar aching down below as she put the pressure of her body on his. Their lips pulled apart and he kissed down her neck, causing her to exhale loudly. She was attempting to be quiet, but she was unsuccessful. He reached one of his hands down to her bottom and squeezed, causing her to attempt to stifle a soft moan. 

Between heavy breaths Blackwall said, "You are so beautiful, Lea. I've been going mad watching you in that dress all night."

She bit her bottom lip and said in a quiet, low growl,  
"The second we get back to Skyhold the first thing I want you to do is to get me out of this dress. Also, please wear whatever cologne you're wearing more often. I was ready to jump you in front of all of our friends." 

Blackwall laughed, "I'd be happy to oblige." He said, then he leaned in to kiss her again.

After that kiss she pulled away from his arms and smiled.

"I’m sorry my love, but the Inquisitor's job is never done! I have to go.” She said. She was about to walk away but she quickly turned back. 

"Oh, and save a dance for me tonight?" She said with a wink.

She glided away and he stood there in the dark, catching his breath. He was now entirely uncomfortable in the tight formal pants he was wearing and he took a moment to calm himself down.

_Maker, what that woman does to me._


	10. When You Wore That Dress (Part 2)

"Duchess Florianne working for Corypheus and being taken away in chains, Empress Celene and Briala reunited, Gaspard sent away to be executed. Just a normal night at the Winter Palace." Cullen said, chuckling. 

"All joking aside, what the Inquisitor accomplished this evening has been remarkable. She's probably disappointed she had to do so much more combat than she was originally planning, but she pulled off all of our plans and more without a problem. And she told me a great deal of delightfully scandalous gossip that she overheard during the evening that the Inquisition can absolutely use to our advantage." Leliana said.

"Where is the Inquisitor anyway?" Cullen asked. "She disappeared after Florianne's arrest. Have you seen her, Blackwall?"

"I have not.” Blackwall replied. “I'll go and look for her."

Blackwall walked to the end of the ballroom and saw the Inquisitor in the corner of his eye outside on a balcony, leaning on the railing.

"It's been one hell of a night, hasn't it?" Blackwall said.

Evangelea laughed, not turning around.

"No kidding!" She said.

"How are you holding up, love?"

Evangelea sighed, but there was a smile on her face.

"I'm fine. Tired. Ready to go home."

Home. He liked the sound of that. Them going home together. Images of a comfortable domestic life with her flashed into his brain. A house, a dog, children...

He snapped out of his daydream and sadness flooded his stomach. _None of that could ever happen,_ he thought. _I don't deserve that._

Blackwall cleared his throat and sighed.

When he approached her she immediately ran into his arms, cuddling up in his chest. He felt butterflies fill his chest as he held her tight.

“Along with those few minutes we had in that empty corridor, this has been the best part of my night." She said softly.

They parted from their embrace and he stepped back and kneeled down slightly in front of her, holding his hand out in front of him.

"Will you dance with me, my lady?"

Her face lit up and with a huge smile and a nod she embraced him once again and they danced around the balcony, forgetting all of their troubles for a few perfect moments.

"I still feel so lucky that I get you as my dance partner." She said sweetly, remembering their dances back at Haven fondly.

Blackwall let out a small happy laugh, thrilled that he could end this dance the way he had wanted to so desperately the times they danced together in Haven. 

They ended their dance with a soft, sweet kiss. 

"I love you so much, Lea." Blackwall said.

She smiled, joy in her eyes. "I love you more."

 _Impossible,_ he thought.

The Inquisition gathered themselves up and made their way back to Skyhold.

Blackwall and Evangelea sat across from each other in their carriage, and she took a break from looking out the window to move over to his side. She sat on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other searched frantically for bare skin on her legs to touch.

Their kisses became more hurried and impatient, both of them desperate for as much physical contact with each other as possible. She ran her fingers through his hair as his hands moved all over her body, and when their lips finally parted it was only because of the sudden jolt of the carriage stopping.

She put her lips up to his ear.  
"My quarters. Now."  
She took his earlobe in her teeth and pulled on it gently, resulting in a loud involuntary sigh from Blackwall.

"Do you enjoy driving me mad?" He said as they stood up.

She was about to exit the carriage and just before she stepped out she turned back to him and said with a sly smile,  
"Are you kidding? It's what I live for!"

Blackwall laughed and made no attempt to hide staring at her as she walked away from him. 

When they at last got to her quarters, his heart was pounding. He couldn't stand letting her stay in that dress one minute longer.

She sat on the edge of her desk and removed both of her shoes, letting out a relieved sigh.

"I can handle demons and fade rifts and corrupt nobles all day, but heels are just the worst." She said, and the laugh that escaped her after she spoke sent Blackwall completely over the edge.

He rushed over to her and swept her off the desk, scooping her up and dropping her down on her bed, her laughing the entire time. He laid her down and kissed along her shoulders, her neck, and finally up to her lips. Her laughter turned to happy sighs as he kissed her everywhere.

Between breaths he heard her whisper,  
"Get this damn dress off of me so I can take you."

He took off her thin straps one by one, kissing her shoulder after each one, and then reached around to unzip the back of the dress. One he reached the bottom of the zipper she wriggled out of the dress and he threw it across the room, quickly following with the rest of her clothing and his own. She laughed as he tossed their clothing around the room, her laughter only fueling his already endless desire for her.

He could never get used to this, the way she looked wearing nothing but moonlight as their bodies connected in the most intimate way. The way her silver hair flowed on her pillow and the fire in her eyes that he saw when she looked at him. He felt pride when she tightened her grip around the sheets, when he heard her moans and cries from the pleasure that he gave to her. Hearing her tell him she loved him over and over as the pleasure became too much and she reached her peak would never get old. He never knew he could love another person this much, that anyone could make him feel this way.

After spending almost the entire night wrapped up in each other, they laid next to one another, panting.

"That was...amazing." She said, out of breath. "You're amazing."

"Never as amazing as you, my lady. You're the most breathtakingly beautiful woman to ever grace this world, and I'm the luckiest man in the world to get to make love to you."

Her laugh was low and sensual. "You’re so sweet. The pleasure is all mine, my love, I assure you." She replied.

She propped herself up on her elbow. He felt his heart swell as he marveled at her beauty. He was still completely awestruck every time he looked at her, the months they spent together had not changed this in the slightest.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" She asked him, her voice sweet as could be.

Blackwall was taken aback by her question. He had never shared quarters with her in Skyhold before, he always spent his nights in the stables. They had never slept in the same bed until the Inquisition’s vacation and they had not since.

"Are-are you sure of that, my lady? I would understand if you didn't want to-"

"Of course I'm sure. I sleep so much better when you're next to me, and I miss you so much when you leave." She said, standing up. "Unless you'd prefer to go back to the stables tonight?"

"No, absolutely not," he began, "I just wasn't sure if you'd be alright with-"

She silenced him with a soft kiss, sweet as candy on his lips. He melted at her touch.

"Plus, then whenever I feel like ravaging you all I have to do is wake you up." She said with a mischievous grin, the tone of her voice raising his heart rate.

He was deeply flattered by how insatiable her need for him was, how his constant burning desire for her was equally matched. He could make love to her every second of the day, and he knew that she felt the same about him.

However, a burning and ceaseless guilt burned in his gut and he knew he couldn't stand it much longer.


	11. When You Found Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: major game spoilers in this chapter!
> 
> Note: I took most of the dialogue that occurs at the gallows directly from the game, so all credit for that dialogue goes to Bioware. They wrote the dialogue better than I ever could and I wanted to keep that part of the story exactly the same! Everything before and after then and the reactions to the gallows dialogue were written by me.

The next morning Blackwall woke up, the sun just beginning to fill up the Inquisitor's quarters with light. Her bed was far more comfortable than where he had been sleeping in the stables, and reaching out at any time in the night and feeling Evangelea there filled his heart with joy. She was snoring slightly and he laughed. There was nothing about her that he did not adore. He got dressed and decided to let her keep sleeping, knowing she was likely still exhausted from the trip back to Skyhold.

Blackwall entered out into the main hallway and passed by Solas.  
"Good morning, Blackwall."

"Morning, Solas. How are ya?"

"I am doing well, thank you. And yourself?"

"As good as ever."

"Where is the Inquisitor?"

"Still asleep. I figured why not let her sleep in one morning?"

"It's very interesting," Solas said, his eyes pensive. "Before you signed on to the Inquisition, the Inquisitor seemed to have an enormously difficult time sleeping. When I watched over her after she fell out of the Fade, she woke up extremely frequently and she twitched and shook with dreams. She told me once that she never knew what it was like to sleep through a night."

"Yes, I recall her saying that to me once too." Blackwall said.

"Have you noticed that she has had any problems sleeping at all?" Solas asked.

Blackwall thought back to all the times he had seen her sleep, the first being that cold night at the Storm Coast.

"Not that I've seen, now that I think about it. She always sleeps like a rock."

"I doubt that it's a coincidence that she has slept so soundly since you've joined our cause. I am glad you help her in so many ways."

"Well thank you, Solas. Much appreciated." Blackwall replied.

The two men parted. 

Blackwall walked downstairs to the main dining hall and found Leliana sitting alone at a table, sipping a cup of tea and reading some papers.

"Morning, Lady Nightingale." Blackwall said.

Leliana looked up from her papers, slightly startled.

"Ser Blackwall. Forgive me, I did not see you there. How are you this morning?"

"I am well, and yourself?" He replied.

"Honestly, a bit troubled by today's briefing." She said, her eyes still locked on the paper she was reading.

"Hmm, why is that?" Blackwall said, half interested. All morning his mind was focusing primarily on memories of the night he and Evangelea shared yesterday.

"A young man, Lieutenant Cyril Mornay, is being executed in Val Royeaux early this evening. He was charged for the murder of Lord Vincent Callier and his entire family. The man who gave his order, his captain Thom Rainier, has disappeared and so he is the only reasonable person left to execute for the crimes. Very troubling indeed."

Blackwall snapped out of his daze immediately and his stomach turned into one big knot. He managed to choke out a shaky question.

"M-Mornay, you say?"

Leliana could see Blackwall's dramatic change of expression and she put her papers down.

"Yes. Do you know this man?"

"Uh-no," Blackwall coughed. "No, just making sure I heard you right. Excuse me, I have some matters I need to take care of."

A few hours later, Evangelea awoke to find her bed empty and unpleasantly cold.

She missed him already and wanted nothing more than to get him back in her arms. She figured by now he'd be back in the stables working, he was always an early riser.

She got herself cleaned up and dressed and headed out to find Blackwall.

She walked down to the stables and found them empty. She was confused at first, but assumed he must've gone into the dining hall or tavern. Before she could head that direction to check, she found a note pinned on the wooden griffon statue he had been working on for so many months.

It read:  
"There is little I can say that will ease this pain. Just know that while it hurt to leave, it would've hurt more if I stayed.

I am deeply sorry."

Evangelea's stomach dropped and she felt her throat tighten. She needed answers, now.

She exited out of the stables, her cheeks now red and her eyes starting to sting with tears. She found an Inquisition scout approaching her.

"Scout, where is Ser Blackwall?" She asked.

"Gone, Your Worship. Sister Nightingale said she spoke to him this morning and she asked me to give you this, she said this is what they spoke about."

The Inquisition took the slightly crumpled piece of paper and read it as quickly as she could. Her mind was going a million miles an hour.  
"Mornay? Execution in Val Royeaux? Thom Rainier? What is all this?"

The scout's face was sad and sympathetic. The Inquisitor's relationship with Blackwall was a secret to no one at this point. 

"Sister Nightingale said that she noticed Ser Blackwall reacted strangely to this news and she believes he may have gone to Val Royeaux for some reason related to this Mornay person."

A warm tear fell down the Inquisitor's cheek and she quickly wiped it away, attempting to hide the devastation and confusion she was feeling.

She sniffed. "Thank you, that will be all."

"Your Worship." The scout replied and turned away.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. She was more confused than sad at this point, a thousand questions pouring through her mind.

She just stood in the barn holding his note in her hand, feeling like her legs were cemented to the ground. Demons, fade rifts, and murderous duchesses felt like nothing compared to this.

Her head was spinning, but her sadness quickly turned to anger.

 _How could he do this?_ She thought.

She wasn't waiting another moment, she would get to the bottom of this immediately. She knew if he was traveling to Val Royeaux this morning it'd take at least a few hours to get there, so they needed to leave immediately to follow behind him.

When they arrived at Val Royeaux, she hopped off the carriage and walked as quickly as she could to the town square, hoping with all she had that she wasn't too late.

"Cyril Mornay, for your crimes against the empire of Orlais..." The executioner began.

Evangelea ran up to the stage, her heart pounding and her mind racing. Sera, Dorian and Varric were still several steps behind her but her eyes were glued to the stage.

"You are sentenced to be hanged from the neck until dead." The executioner continued, and Evangelea's stomach dropped.

"Do you have anything to say in your defense?" 

Mornay remained silent, his face filled with pain. The officers stood him upright and placed the noose around his neck. Evangelea had gotten all the way here, to this moment, with seemingly no answers until...

"Stop!" She heard a voice say, and her eyes immediately darted to follow the sound. She saw Blackwall walking up the steps to the gallows, causing gasps from the audience. He walked with unusual confidence and determination. Her heart immediately went into her throat and she felt as though she was outside of herself. Her mind swirled so quickly she began to feel dizzy.

"This man is innocent of the crimes laid before him!" Blackwall yelled out. "Orders were given and he followed them like any good soldier. He should not die for that mistake."

"Then find me the man who gave the order!" The executioner cried out in response. Blackwall turned towards the group of people gathered in front of the gallows, facing them with no hesitation.

"Blackwall!" Evangelea cried out to him, desperate for him to acknowledge her in some way.

He looked into her eyes and his eyes were filled with pain, anger, and regret.

"No," He said. "I am not Blackwall. I never was Blackwall. Warden Blackwall is dead, and has been for years. I assumed his name to hide, like a coward, from who I really am."

"You, after all this time!" Said Mornay, shock on his face.

"It's over. I'm done hiding. I gave the order. The crime is mine. I am Thom Rainier."

The entire crowd gasped and Evangelea's face turned from confusion to shock and heartbreak. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. She kept expecting to wake up from this dream at any moment.

The guards took Rainier away quicker than she could even move.

Sera, Varric, and Dorian stood behind her, all too stunned to speak.

Evangelea quickly walked up to one of the guards, who was caught off guard when she approached him.

"Lady Inquisitor, what are you-" He began.

"Where are they taking him? Rainier?"

"To the jail, just down that way." He said, pointing.

She approached the door to the jail and the guards in front of the doors saluted her.

Dorian attempted to reach out and touch the Inquisitor's shoulder.

"Evangelea, my dear-I,"

She turned to him quickly and her eyes were bright red and full of tears. Dorian's heart ached; he couldn't stand to see her like this. Sera and Varric stood behind them, their faces sad and angry. Their sweet Inquisitor was heartbroken in front of them and they had no idea what to say or do.

"I need to take care of this myself, you all."

All three of Evangelea's companions nodded their heads without another word, and she entered the jail.

She walked downstairs and then she saw him, sitting in a dark, dingy cell. It killed her to see him this way.

He looked up at her and his heart shattered. He had prayed that she wouldn't come.

"You shouldn't have come-" He began.

"No." She said quickly. "You do not get to talk first."

He had never seen her this way before. Her face was stained with tears. _Just another person that I've caused so much pain,_ he thought.

"I am going to sit down and you are going to tell me right now exactly what in the Maker's name is going on. Right. Now."

He saw the hurt, the betrayal in her eyes and he knew he had no more reasons to lie to her now.

He softly and sadly explained every bit of his past to her as she sat silently and listened, never once interrupting. 

"Can't you see that without his name I am nothing? I offer you nothing? No future, no life, nothing at all?" He said loudly, his voice shaking.

Evangelea continued to sit in front of his cell quietly, her facial expression surprisingly hard to discern. She reached through the bars and turned his face to hers.

"You are more than a name." She began, speaking softly. "You're so much more. You’re the man who took just a moment too long to shake my hand the first time we met because we both knew that moment changed our lives forever. You're the man who lent me his jacket when I was shivering at the Storm Coast, the one who carried me back to my tent so I wouldn't sleep out in the cold. You're the one who danced with me at the Winter Palace. You're the one who held my face in your hands and said you loved me. You did all of those things, not your name. I don't believe for a moment that any of what we had were lies. What I see in front of me is not a liar, but someone who was hiding from their past. You hid behind someone else's name to escape the pain of your mistakes, but you never hid your heart from me. I know that."

Tears started to roll down Thom's cheeks. Once again, she found the good in him. Once again, she was right about him and he was wrong.

"Why aren't you angrier?" He said almost in a whisper. "You should be angrier."

"Of course I'm angry." She said, her voice low. "I'm not angry about the fact that you were not who you said, to be honest with you. The man I love is not Gordon Blackwall, he's been someone else all along and I know that. I'm not angry that you fled because I know what it feels like to be terrified, to not know what to do. I'm a mage, aren't I? Persecuted and despised by so many in Thedas, never safe anywhere? You let your fear get the better of you and now your past has come back to get you, as it always does. I'm not mad that you lied about being a Warden. Based on the information we received on you, you were a Warden in every single way except having completed The Joining, and that's enough for me. You dedicated yourself body, mind, and soul to the Warden's cause and that's enough for me to respect. I'm not mad about you taking the order to kill Lord Callier. That's what mercenaries do, right? Take orders to kill for money? We have more than a few mercenaries companies in the Inquisition. I believe truly that you did not know that his entire family would be there, not many mercenary companies would order a hit like that."

She took a deep breath and looked directly into his eyes. The eye contact he usually longed for now pained him, it was like looking directly into the sun. The longer he looked at her, the more ashamed he felt.

"I'm angry because you didn't tell me sooner. Don't you think I would've understood everything and worked it out with you if you had just told me? We could've found your men, arranged for reparations for the family, explained everything to everyone, done so much to-"

"I could never have asked you to do that." Thom said. "This was never your burden to bear."

"Excuse me?" She said. "That's what love is, Thom. Love is bearing each other's burdens, love is finding peace and comfort in another."

Hearing her say his real name, hearing his real name for the first time in so long, took the breath right out of his lungs. It sounded so foreign to him now.

She looked down at her lap and shut her eyes for a moment.

"I fell in love with a sweet, kind, gentle, beautiful man who just happened to call himself Gordon Blackwall and share little about his history. I believe now that I am looking at that exact same man, but who has at last revealed his history and goes by a different name."

She watched tears roll down his cheeks and she started crying as well. 

"I can't say I've never wanted to run away and be someone else too." She said softly. "I've made my share of mistakes, been taunted and rejected and let people I care about down. But I chose to accept my past instead of trying to run away and hoping it wouldn't catch up with me. It always does. You can't run from yourself anymore. You're a better man than that."

"But am I? Am I really? I do not deserve these words that you have said to me, Evangelea. You could have so much better. You're the most beautiful woman to ever live, you are absolute perfection and you chose me? This sad, broken, miserable man?"

"I am not perfect." She said. "We are all who we are because of our imperfections. Because of our stories, our triumphs, our failures. You wouldn't be exactly who you are if your past was different and we would never have met if our lives did not happen exactly as they did."

"But-" Thom began.

"Listen to me." Evangelea said sternly. "You will be taken back to Skyhold shortly and I will see you in a few hours. I need time to myself right now."

She stood up and walked out before he had a chance to respond.

Her understanding of his situation just made him feel even guiltier. He expected her to yell and scream at him, to tell him she never wanted to see him again. To call him a liar, a murderer, a coward. But she didn't. She opened her heart to him as she always had to everyone. A few hours ago he hoped she would never find him again, but he couldn't help but feel the familiar ache in his chest when she left his side moments ago. He realized he never had any chance of running away from her, as she was his destiny. For the first time in years, Thom prayed. For forgiveness, for strength, and to thank the Maker, or Andraste, or whoever, for somehow allowing Evangelea to come into his life. She was his salvation.


	12. When You Set Me Free

Evangelea sat on her throne, her face in her hands. She looked up at Josephine who was standing in front of her with a sympathetic expression on her face.

"Do I really have to do this?" Evangelea said, her face pained.

"Unfortunately, yes, Inquisitor. We were able to retrieve Blackw-I mean Thom Rainier-from Val Royeaux only because Orlais owes the Inquisition quite a few favors after Halamshiral. We would likely not have gotten him back at all unless we told Orlais we were going to judge him ourselves. What you do with him is entirely your decision, Inquisitor."

Evangelea exhaled loudly.  
"I know. This whole thing just feels so formal and ridiculous. Thom and I have already been through enough and now we have to bring him here in chains? I can't stand seeing him like that."

"I understand," Josephine began. "And I must tell you that I admire your forgiveness of his actions, not many people in your place would do the same thing. It is a noble thing to be able to love someone entirely as they are, mistakes and all."

Evangelea smiled slightly, but her eyes were filling up with tears.  
"Thank you, Josephine. I appreciate that." 

She looked right into Josephine's eyes and Josephine saw a tear roll down the Inquisitor's face. Normally the Inquisitor was full of light, joy, and strength. To see her this way broke Josephine's heart. 

Josephine set down the writing board she had almost permanently in her hands and walked over to the Inquisitor, her arms slightly extended out. The Inquisitor, pleasantly surprised by this uncharacteristic show of affection quickly walked in to Josephine's embrace and found herself crying into her soft gold blouse. Josephine at that moment felt a sisterly affection for the Inquisitor, and squeezed her tightly.

"This whole mess is going to be over soon and you and Rainier can begin to move past all of this."  
Josephine let go of Evangelea and Evangelea sniffed, a sad smile on her face.

"Thank you, I needed that." Evangelea let out a combination of laughing and crying and Josephine smiled, happy that she could help in some small way.

A few moments later Josephine heard the clanking of chains and looked at the Inquisitor, whose expression had shifted very quickly from the small smile she had on her face seconds earlier.

"Are you ready, Inquisitor?"

Evangelea sat back in her throne and nodded.

"You know precisely why Thom Rainier is being presented before you today, I feel it is unnecessary to repeat the charges to you." Josephine said.

"Thank you." Evangelea replied, appreciative of Josephine's delicate handling of this unpleasant situation. She wasn't her normal diplomatic game-playing pleasant. This was personal for both of them, Josephine and Evangelea's friendship had grown over the last few months and Josephine had been one of the biggest supporters of Evangelea and Thom's relationship.

Thom entered the room, chained and surrounded by two guards.  
Immediately upon seeing him, Evangelea began to cry again. Even after everything, just the sight of him made her heart pound in her chest. She could hardly contain her love for him. Tears poured silently down her cheeks. Thom looked up at her as tears began to fill his eyes as well. Even though he was seeing her distraught, he couldn't get past how beautiful she was and how undeserving he was of her love.

"I-I can't stand seeing you like this." Evangelea said, her voice breaking.  
  
"Just another way I've hurt you. I'm so sorry." Thom said.

Evangelea wiped her eyes.  
"I know you are. I believe that."

She took a deep breath, attempting to steady her shaking voice.  
"My judgement is this: you have your freedom."

Thom began to object. "But-"

Evangelea put up her hand and Thom immediately silenced himself.

"But, you must atone for your actions and continue your life from this point forward exactly as you really are, not who you were or who you wanted to forget to be. No more hiding, no more lies, never again. We will make reparations in any and every way possible and I will help you every step of the way to right your wrongs. You are a better man than you realize and I order you to continue as the man I've known and love."

_Love. _Thom thought. _She said love, not loved.___

__Josephine watched the powerful and deeply emotional scene unfolding before her and felt her eyes sting with tears as well._ _

__The guards released Thom from his chains and he slowly approached Evangelea. She stood up from the throne, her eyes still filled with tears._ _

__Thom kneeled before her.  
"My lady, I do not know what I've done to deserve your kindness, your forgiveness, your love. But I will do everything in my power to be the man that you deserve. I will do everything you have asked me with great pleasure, I look forward to making things right and to not run away from my past anymore. I've said it before, but I must tell you again that every single moment we've shared together has been real. You bring out the best in me and I am a better man because of you. I am yours for as long as you will have me. I love you."_ _

__Evangelea's heart raced at his words, love and relief flooding her.  
She kneeled down to his level and took his hands, and they stood up together._ _

__"I love you too." She said, and the smile she was famous for filled up her face for the first time in far too long._ _

__He embraced her tightly, and as soon as they pulled apart she kissed him deeply. Every emotion possible filled their kiss. Relief, pain, fear. But more than anything they both felt unending love. They knew nothing in this world could possibly separate them, that their souls were joined from the moment they laid eyes on each other._ _


	13. When I Apologized

Thom sat alone in one of Skyhold's meeting rooms, a fire crackling behind him. He put his head in his hands and sighed, knowing what lay ahead of him was not going to be easy.

One by one the members of the Inquisition's inner circle with the exception of Evangelea filed in and sat down, hurt and slightly angry expressions on each and every one of their faces. After they had all sat down Thom stood up and cleared his threat.

"This had better be good." He heard Sera say.

"Thank you everyone for coming here. I won't waste your time, I know you’re all busy. I'll just cut to the chase. I've done some really awful things and I lied to all of you about who I was, my past, everything. I consider each and every one of you a friend, you've all been more a family to me than I've had in a very long time. All I came here to say is that I am sorry and I will do whatever I can to earn your forgiveness and earn back your friendship. I don't expect you to want to do that right away, but I swear to the Maker that I will set things right. Evangelea has shown me that I can be a better man, a better friend, a better everything to all of you. I hope you all can one day give me that chance to earn back your loyalty, but know that my respect, admiration, and camaraderie with all of you was and is real, just as my love for Evangelea is real and always has been."

The room fell silent and surprisingly the first person to speak up was The Iron Bull.

"You know something? You've been one real son of a bitch. Damn near everything about you has been a lie and not even my Ben-Hassrath training saw through your bullshit. You scammed each and every one of us and yeah, I'm pretty fucking pissed off about it. But I can deal with that. The worst part of this whole thing was what you did to Lea. She was fucking devastated and seeing her like that killed all of us."

The Iron Bull paused and took a deep breath.

"But-she loves you. You love her. That's obvious. And she's forgiven you. And if she's willing to move past this and try to start over than I see no reason why you can't get one last chance. We've all made some serious mistakes but not everyone gets second chances. But I swear to you Rainier that if you so much as make Lea frown again I will put an axe through you so fast you'll never see it coming."

"I second that. But, with arrows." Sera chimed in. "I told you when we first got here that if you hurt her, there'd be arrows. You hurt her, and the only reason there isn't arrows is because I can see how loopy lovey dovey she is about you and I knew deep down you've always been a good man. If she sees somethin’ good in you then I guess I do too. I'm friggin' pissed about what you did, but you get one more chance from me because Lea loves you. But we love her too and no more chances, you hear me?"

Blackwall nodded gratefully at the two. "Understood. Thank you."

"I share my sentiments with The Iron Bull and Sera," Dorian began, "Evangelea is my dearest friend in the world and watching her hurting was unbearably painful. Luckily for you, we all trust her judgement. One more chance, Thom. That's all you'll get from any of us, I'm sure."

The rest of the group nodded quietly in agreement with the few that had chosen to speak up and came up to speak with Thom individually about their feelings on the situation, all coming to a general consensus that they would attempt to rebuild their relationships with him as long as Evangelea was happy with him. The tension in the room was still palpable, but relief flooded through Thom as he realized that, once again, Evangelea's love gave him a second chance in life in yet another way.

Sera was the last person to leave. She approached Thom and pretended to shoot an arrow at his head from across the room.  
"Arrows, Thom. Arrows."

Thom couldn't help but smile at the silly elven girl he had grown so fond of.  
"Arrows, got it."

She walked up to him and gave him a hug, saying quickly and quietly in his ear before pulling away, laughing, and skipping out of the room,

"Glad you're back beardy!"


	14. When We Couldn't Sleep

Thom thought that considering everything he and Evangelea had been through in the last 48 hours that he should probably stay the night in his quarters in the stables instead of hers in the main castle.

Built into the back of the stables was a small room meant for a stablehand or servant that had just enough room for a small fireplace, a bed, and a small table.

Thom changed into his sleeping clothes and crawled into bed, exhausted from the emotional events of the last few days. He tossed and turned but despite his exhaustion he couldn't manage to fall asleep. Sleeping without her by his side was almost impossible now. He laid there for at least an hour, staring at the ceiling, thinking.

It was late when he heard gentle knocking on his door.

He got up quickly and opened the door. Evangelea stood in front of him, wearing her sleeping clothes and a soft fluffy robe. She had walked decently far to get from her quarters to here and the night was cold. Her face was stained with tears and the image was both endearing and saddening to him. 

"Darling, what's the matter?" Thom said, concern thick in his voice.

"I couldn't sleep. I can never sleep without you anymore. And during the few minutes that I did sleep I had the most terrible, awful dream." She said, her voice shaky and her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh sweetheart, come here." He said, walking her towards the bed. They both sat down on the edge of the bed and she sniffed, wiping her tears away.

"What happened in your dream?" Thom asked.

Another tear fell down her cheek, landing on her hands which were in her lap. Her fingers were laced together tightly. 

"I-I dreamed that after I found out who you really were, that everything we had had been a lie. In the dream you told me that you never loved me and you only used me to gain influence with the Inquisition. You said you didn't care that you'd hurt me and that I was a fool for believing you in the first place. You laughed at me as I sobbed in front of you, and then you left forever. Oh Thom, it was so terrible."

Thom's heart ached as he watched the woman he loved cry, pain all over her face. He turned to face her and took both of her hands in his. He kissed the top of her hands and looked into her eyes.

"My darling, it was all just a dream, I promise you. I am so sorry that you had to experience that but I swear to you that I meant everything that I've told you these past two days. I can never say I'm sorry enough for the pain I have caused you, but all I can ask is that we try to move forward together. Your forgiveness is all I ever wanted and I promise to be a better man to you, to be the truest and very best man I can possibly be. I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you and nothing in the world can change my love and devotion to you. You are my everything, my entire world. I am yours, eternally. Do you believe that?"

Another tear rolled down Evangelea's cheek and she looked into Thom's eyes for a long time before she spoke.

"I do." She said.

Thom wiped a tear off her cheek and leaned in to kiss her there when she turned her face and their lips met. Every time they kissed it felt like the first time to him, sparks flew in his mind and his blood ignited. Their kiss lingered for a while, soft, slow, and tender.

When they pulled apart she sniffed again and tugged her robe tighter to her.

"I couldn't sleep without you either. I can't sleep without you near me anymore." Thom said after a few moments of silence.

"Can I stay here with you tonight?" She said quietly.

Thom's heart leapt in his chest.  
"Of course you can, but wouldn't you prefer to go back and sleep in your quarters? They're far nicer and more comfortable than this little room."

"No, this is exactly where I want to be right now." She said.

Thom smiled and nodded, crawling back into bed with her quickly following. The moment he felt the warmth of her body against his in his cold bed he felt like everything was right in the world again. She cuddled herself up into his chest and sighed deeply. Not a sad sigh, but a comfortable, relieved one.

"Sweet dreams." He said to her, causing a small smile to appear on her face. She remembered that night on the Storm Coast those many months ago where she said those same words to him, responding in a sweet and surprised smile from him. How far they had come, she thought.


	15. When I Didn't Hold Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter is NSFW!

"Thom,  
Please come to my quarters as soon as you can.  
-Lea"

Thom's heart sunk a little after reading the message she left on the table next to his bed. He hadn't heard her get up and leave when dawn broke. Things were still healing between them, the night prior being the first night they had slept in the same bed since everything happened. He knew she wasn't angry, but their dynamic was changed now. She had to learn to trust him again, and he understood it wouldn't happen overnight.

Thom got dressed and walked to her quarters.

"Lea? I'm here." He said as ascended the stairs to her room.

"Sit on the edge of the bed, I'll be right there!" She called out from inside her closet.

Thom did as he was told, sitting nervously on the edge of her bed.

Every possible bad scenario ran through his mind as he sat, every way she could choose to tell him she was leaving him forever. His stomach turned just thinking about it.

Evangelea stepped out, walked in front of Thom and immediately forcefully pushed him down onto her bed. She climbed on top of him and crashed her lips onto his.

He barely had time to process what was happening because immediately when she kissed him his head started to swim. She was intoxicating and he never got used to her touch. He realized quickly that she was wearing nothing but a fluffy blue towel, and she wasted no time tugging at his clothes.

She quickly got his shirt removed and he threw the towel off of her. She lowered herself and her bare chest pressed up against his.

"I want you, I need you right now." She said, her breath heavy.

"I always need you." He said back to her, assisting her in removing the last pieces of his clothing.

Soon they both had no clothes in their way and their bodies merged as they had many times before, but this time felt entirely new. He felt a renewed passion from her, a longing, an aching, a need he hadn't felt before. It was as if she could tell before that he was holding back his true self to her and now at last he could make love to her as his true self, not the man he was pretending to be.

He moved on top of her and she wrapped her legs around him, her moans growing in volume.

"Oh Thom..." She sighed.

Hearing her say his name, his real name, while he made love to her made his heart flutter in his chest. For the first time they were able to be completely truly intimate with no lies to stand in their way.

They flipped around to where he was on his back, and she quickly buried her face in his shoulder, kissing from there up to his neck, his jawline, and back to his lips again. He watched her hips move up and down as she kissed him, the sensations almost becoming too much to handle. He felt like every nerve was electrified and he was drowning in his love for her. 

Thom sighed. "I love you so much, so much."

"I love you more." She whispered breathily in his ear. "Please don't stop, please."

He sat upright and she repositioned herself with her legs folded out on each side, their bodies never parting. 

She rocked herself on him and wrapped her arms around his neck, her sighs and moans soft and frequent.

He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply as they both let out more cries of pleasure, both reaching their peak within a few seconds of each other.

They both sat there quietly for a moment, their breathing still heavy and their bodies still connected.

"I could always tell there was something that you were holding back when you made love to me. Something so small I couldn't quite wrap my finger around it. Now that I know what that was I can tell you for a fact that today you did not hold anything back." Evangelea said, a pleased smile on her face.

Thom was still dizzy from emotion, still completely surprised and relieved that this was what she called him up to her quarters for.

"I'm so sorry, Lea. I truly am. I promise you, I will never hold back anything from you again."

She kissed his forehead softly and he closed his eyes.

"I know you are. I missed you so much, Thom. I couldn't stand another moment without you. I ache for you every moment of the day."

"I can say the same, my darling. I am yours, body and soul, you never leave my thoughts.

She kissed him again, a slow and deep kiss. Their tongues danced softly and her breathing quickened.

"Ready again when you are, my lady." He said with a laugh, placing his hands firmly on her waist. Their desire for each other was powerful and unquenchable, she felt her head spin as he touched her. She laughed, his ultimate weakness, and he felt his heart pound in his chest. 

She sighed happily and leaned back in to kiss him again.

"I can never get enough of you..." She said, placing her lips onto his once again.


	16. When Cole Told You

Cole and Evangelea sat next to each other on the edge of one of Skyhold's ramparts, their feet dangling over the side of the wall. The moon seemed brighter than usual and the sky was filled with stars.

"How does it feel being more human now?" She asked him.

Cole was quiet for a moment.

"Good. I want to do right by the real Cole. I feel like I can do that better now." He said.

"I think the real Cole would be very proud of you." Evangelea said, a soft smile on her face.

"How do you know?" Cole replied, looking up at her.

Cole's eyes were always both full of questions and full of answers, all at the same time. There was a curiosity and wisdom in him, a naivety and a maturity that Evangelea admired. He was a perplexing individual, but one she cared for deeply. Watching him grow as a human and learn to forgive meant a great deal to her.

"I just do." She replied. "You're incredible Cole, the Inquisition could never be where it is without you."

"Sincere. Your words are kind but also real. You mean what you say." He said.

"Of course I do." Evangelea replied. "I knew the moment I met you that you were unique and I am grateful that I can call you my friend. You know I'm here for you, anything you need."

Cole smiled at her, a rare sight. She saw something new in his soft blue eyes: hope. The sadness that so often filled him was replaced with something new, something happier.

"Thank you." He said.

They sat in silence for a while, staring at the stars together. Silence between them was never uncomfortable.

"His words to you are true, you know." Cole said softly, not looking up from his lap.

"What?" Evangelea replied, intrigued by his words.

"Thom. Heart heavy, sad, relieved, guilty. Drowning in love for the girl with lilac eyes. Free, guilty, sad, happy. He regrets what he's put you through, but loves you. He loves you so much. He always has."

Evangelea's heart filled up with joy and relief. She knew in her heart what Cole was saying was the truth. 

"May I ask you something, Cole?" She said.

"Yes."

"Did you..."

"Know?"

She nodded.

Cole exhaled. "Yes."

Evangelea was about to speak, but Cole spoke first.

"It was not for me to tell you. I would not have helped, only hurt."

Evangelea's initial reaction was to be upset that Cole knew all along, but she understood that what she found out needed to come from Thom himself. Finding out from someone else would have just hurt that much more.

"I am sorry if that saddens you in any way." Cole said.

"No, Cole. I understand. You're right. I needed to hear it from him."

"His love for you is true. His mind is always almost entirely consumed with thoughts of you. Guilt, pain, adoration, regret. He was always so happy and so sad at the same time."

Cole paused and his voice grew very soft.

"Ever since you forgave him he brightened. Before, his mind was so dark and so filled with pain. Endless agony, endless guilt. Now he is bright, happy, free. You did that. You loved him and that made him better."

Evangelea fought back tears, happiness overcoming her.

"Thank you. Thank you so much for everything you've said Cole."

"I've only told you the truth."

"I know you have, and that's what I'm the most grateful for."

Evangelea put her arm around Cole's shoulder and hugged him tightly. He put his head down on her shoulder and they sat together for a long time, silently watching the stars.


	17. When Cassandra Watched the Clouds

Evangelea was lying in a patch of grass near the area where Cassandra usually fought with her practice dummies. The day was unusually warm for Skyhold, the breeze soft on her skin.

Cassandra walked up to the area of the fortress she was so familiar with, sword in hand, and was surprised to see the Inquisitor on the ground.

Evangelea felt Cassandra's presence and opened her eyes.  
"Hi Cassandra."

"Good afternoon, Inquisitor. What are you doing?"

"Just enjoying the day." Evangelea replied. "We get a few days a year where it's not cold here and I'm going to take it in as much as I can. You know how I’m always freezing so this is really nice. I don't have any meetings I need to be at right this minute and we aren't heading to the Hinterlands until tomorrow."

Cassandra smiled, slightly jealous of the Inquisitor's ability to find peace amongst the chaos of their lives. She could go go go for what seemed like forever, but then somehow find a way to stop and find happy moments.

"Would you like to join me? Or are you going to practice right now? I can get out of your way."

Cassandra thought about it for a moment and figured a slight delay in her practice couldn't hurt.

"Alright, I can join you for a moment." Cassandra said.

Cassandra laid down on the ground beside her. Big fluffy clouds took up much of the sky. It had rained a few nights ago and the air felt clean and refreshed because of that.

"So what do you...do down here?" Cassandra said, her body language stiff, much unlike Evangelea who had one leg propped up on the other and her hands behind her head.

“I've been closing my eyes a little, listening to the wind and relaxing, but I've also just been enjoying how beautiful the sky looks today. See any shapes in the clouds?"

"What?" Cassandra said quickly. _Finding shapes in the clouds?_ She thought. _What an odd thing to do._

"Shapes? Like what?"

"Like that one." Evangelea said, pointing to the sky. "That one looks like a nug with a cape on."

Cassandra let out an amused grunt. She squinted at the cloud for a moment.

"Huh." She said. She let out a small laugh. "I suppose it does. What a silly thing.” Cassandra was quiet for a moment as she continued to stare at the clouds. “This is...not something I've ever done before."

Evangelea sat up in surprise.  
"Really? You never looked for shapes in the clouds when you were young?"

"I suppose not."

A big bright smile fell on Evangelea’s face. "Well, you have now!"

Cassandra smiled back at her. Evangelea's silliness so sharply contrasted Cassandra's sternness, but Evangelea knew of the sweet romantic heart that was underneath Cassandra's hard exterior.

"Do you see any shapes?" Evangelea said.

Cassandra looked for a few moments until one caught her eye and her response was filled with more excitement than Evangelea was expecting, much to her delight.

"Oh, that one! It looks like that silly purple vase that Josephine is so fond of, the one on her top shelf that always has daisies in it."

"Oh my gosh you're absolutely right!" Evangelea said with a giggle. "I love how much she loves that vase even though it is the ugliest decorative piece I've ever seen."

Cassandra laughed harder than Evangelea had heard in months.

"It makes me happy to see you like this, Cassandra. Relaxed, maybe even enjoying yourself a little?" Evangelea said with a smile.

"I always enjoy my time with you, Inquisitor. You always get me to look at things another way."

They sat quietly for a few moments, sunlight peeking through the tree they were under, warm on their faces.

"So, Chapter 8 of _Swords and Shields_..." Evangelea began.

Cassandra quickly snapped out of the dreamy state her and Evangelea had been in for the last few minutes.

"Oh my, can you _believe_ the Knight Captain?! What was she thinking!"

Evangelea laughed.  
"Completely outrageous," She replied. "She just never learns!"

Cassandra laughed again, very glad she didn’t go straight to practice today.


	18. When You Cooked for Varric

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I've been writing this story I've been growing more and more fond of the friendship that Evangelea and Varric have, it's turned into something so sweet and loving and sincere and I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter where I got to explore their friendship even more. Varric had been Thom's #1 supporter of pursuing a relationship with Evangelea and became her best friend in the process of it all. Writing this chapter definitely made me hungry too! :)

"Hey V, how's it going?" Evangelea said, pulling up a chair and sitting beside Varric at his writing desk.

Varric smiled when he heard her.  
"Hey, Bubbles." He replied, using the nickname he had come up with for her. Varric rarely called anyone by their real name and the Inquisitor was no exception. Evangelea's bubbly personality led him to quickly find a nickname that suited her. He had never met a single person who called him by a nickname too like she did and he found himself enjoying it immensely, calling her "E" in return on occasion.

Evangelea wrapped her arm around his shoulder and gave him a side hug. Varric was extremely unused to being around people who were as physically affectionate as Evangelea was, but he found her frequent hugs and friendly arms around the shoulder extremely endearing and quickly warmed up to the affection.

"Writing something amazing about me, right?" She said jokingly.

Varric laughed.  
"What else is there to write about?"

"I just came by to say hi. See how you were doing. I can leave if you're busy." Evangelea said.

Varric turned his chair around and stretched out.  
"No, stay. I could use a break anyway."

Evangelea smiled her big happy smile at Varric and a wave of affection went through him. She was the silly, goofy sweetness that the Inquisition needed so desperately and whenever he felt down or frustrated she always seemed to know and be there. She cried on his shoulder the entire ride to Val Royeaux before Thom's true identity was revealed and she believed he had left her forever. He considered her to be, next to Hawke who he saw more as the sister he never had, the best friend he'd ever had.  
Earlier that week Evangelea had gone with Varric and Bianca down to Valammar and Bianca's usage of the Inquisition to cover her own mistakes had left Varric extremely down and disappointed, so he was particularly grateful to see his dear friend today.

"Are you hungry?" Evangelea said, her eyes full of excitement. "I'm starving."

Varric realized he had gotten so caught up in his work that he hadn't eaten all day and he felt his stomach grumble.

"You know, yeah I am. Did you have something in mind?" Varric said.

"Yes. Come on." She said, motioning him to follow her.

She led Varric downstairs to the Inquisition’s kitchens, where two young cook's assistants were working cleaning pots and pans. They saw the Inquisitor walk in and quickly stiffened up.

"Inquisitor-hello! We-I-we can-" One of the girls began.

"Sheila, yes? And Leanne?" The Inquisitor said, smiling softly at them.

"Why-yes, Inquisitor." The girl replied, a little starstruck and clearly shocked that the Inquisitor knew their names.

"Thank you for all your hard work, ladies. But I'd like this room for the night if that's alright, you girls can be done. I'll take care of the rest of the dishes later when I’m done in here."

The girls had stunned looks on their faces, unsure how to respond.

"We-um-we-" Sheila began.

The Inquisitor laughed.  
"Don't worry, I'm serious. I promise your boss won't be angry with you, I've already spoken to her. Get out of here and spend the rest of your evening doing something fun, alright? Inquisitor's orders."

The two girls’ shy and nervous faces immediately shifted into expressions of relief and joy.

They both bowed slightly and thanked the Inquisitor before exiting the room, giggling together excitedly as they left.

Varric felt a sense of pride and admiration watching Evangelea's endless kindness to the lesser acknowledged members of the Inquisition. She treated everyone the same, regardless of rank or stature, and he couldn't help but deeply admire her for it. He had seen so much abuse of power and mistreatment of lower ranking citizens in his life that watching her interactions with others gave him hope that the world could truly be a better place.

"Sit down, V. How does fresh bread and ram stew sound?" Evangelea said, rummaging through a cabinet.

Varric's mouth watered at the thought. He had a weakness for fresh bread and he loved ram. He wondered if she knew that.

"That sounds great," Varric said. "Is someone...bringing it into here, or?

"No silly!" Evangelea said, placing some bowls and a handful of ingredients onto the table. "I'm going to cook it for us!"

"No shit, you can cook? Where'd you learn to do that?" Varric replied.

"I used to cook a lot when I lived at home before I went into the Circle, so I just sort of taught myself. Denry helped teach me too! You remember how good the food was during that trip. The food that they prepared for us in the Circle was always awful, so I would sneak into the kitchens after dinner was over and cook for myself. They never did find out where all their missing ingredients went!" She said, laughing.

"Well, can I help you with anything at least?" Varric asked.

"Nope!" Evangelea said happily. "Just keep me company while I cook. You've done so much for me the last few weeks that I figured it was about time I did something nice for you! I asked Hawke the last time I saw her if she knew anything about what you liked to eat and she may have tipped me off about some of your favorites."

Varric laughed, picturing Hawke's surprised face when the Inquisitor asked such a non-serious question after going through so many very serious events together.

Varric watched as Evangelea mixed together a variety of ingredients in a bowl, eventually forming a sticky ball of dough. She floured up her hands and laid the dough out on the floured table.

With a flick of her finger the dough began to knead itself on the counter.

Varric found this extremely amusing and Evangelea could tell when he looked at her.

"What? I hate this part. Being a mage comes with _some_ benefits other than setting people on fire." She said with a laugh.

She took out a big slab of ram meat that had been preserved in an ice chest down on the floor of the kitchen and laid it down on the other side of the table. She rubbed various spices all over it, placed it on a metal tray and put it in the oven.

"It’s going to smell amazing in here in about 5 minutes, trust me." She said.

Varric smiled as he watched her move about the kitchen, clearly enjoying what she was doing. He was deeply moved that she was doing this all for him, that she set time aside in her night to have dinner with him. _Maker knows she always has a million things she needs to do all the time,_ he thought. Varric found himself still mostly preoccupied with thoughts of Valammar, however.

"Bubbles, can I ask you something?" Varric said, his tone more serious than it had been all night. His change of tone caught her attention immediately and she turned around from putting the bread in a second oven to look at him.

"Of course, V. Anything." 

"What do you think of Bianca? Truly? You can be completely honest with me and it won’t upset me." Varric said, shocked at his own bravery to ask the question at all.

Evangelea's face turned sad, her hands full of red potatoes that she was about to drop into a pot of boiling water.

"Oh, Varric. I had a feeling you were going to ask me something like that. I know that what happened in Valammar really hurt you."

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Varric said, nervous that he had made her uncomfortable in some way.

"No, no. I will." She replied, sighing deeply.

"Honestly, Varric, I know you used to be in love with her and I know a part of you always will be. You either will always love someone at least in some small way or you never did. I knew even when me and Thom’s future was uncertain that I would always love him because hearts can’t ever go backwards from loving someone, not entirely. They can only go forward. And I know you did love her. And I know that a part of her loves you too, that’s obvious. I know you know that. But, honestly, it breaks my heart to see you look at her the way you do because she will never love you the way you want her to. I think that she loves her work and her lifestyle more than she will ever love you. She got married to someone else, Varric. She doesn't love him, but she married him anyway. She chose the wishes of her family over you, and then kept meeting you for years and years afterwards for what? Just to leave you both heartbroken after every meeting? For her to pull at your heartstrings just to leave you for the life she's chosen every single time? I know you would've given up everything for her, V. But she wasn't willing to do the same and I don't think you deserve anything but someone who will give the same amount of love to you as you give to them. Any woman would truly be lucky to have you and while I think in some way you and Bianca will always love each other, she's not the right person for you."

Varric was silent for a moment, overwhelmed by the weight of her words. He found himself, surprisingly, not saddened by what she had to say, but rather he felt relieved. Everything she had said to him was everything he had known all along but never had the courage to let himself accept. Watching Bianca's rude and almost jealous treatment of the Inquisitor when they were in Valammar had angered him, but unsurprisingly Evangelea was perfectly gracious in response and never let Bianca's poor attitude get to her. Evangelea had confirmed everything he had felt for the last twenty years of his life.

"That was...exactly what I needed to hear. I know you're right, you're right about every single thing you said. I-shit-I guess I just needed to hear someone else say it."

"You're one of my dearest friends in the world, Varric. You know I wouldn't tell you any of this if I didn't want what was best for you."

"Thanks, E. It means a lot." Varric said, a soft smile on his face.

"Hang on, I want to hug you but my hands are gross from touching all this raw food." Evangelea said, quickly washing her hands off in the sink next to the stove.

She dried off her hands and quickly walked up to Varric, wrapping him in a big, tight hug. He hugged her back and she kissed him gently on the cheek as they parted.

Evangelea walked back to the kitchen and pulled the ram meat out of the oven, the smell quickly filling up the whole kitchen.

"Damn, that _does_ smell amazing." Varric said, feeling his stomach growl again.

"Told you!" Evangelea said, smiling. "The bread should be ready in a second too."

She cut up the ram meat into small chunks and placed it in a pot where potatoes, various spices, and a sauce were simmering. She put her face up to the pot and took a deep breath in, making a happy noise as she put the lid on the pot.

"This is going to be so good, trust me." She said.

"I have all the faith in the world in you, your Inquisitorialness." Varric said.

Evangelea pulled the bread out of the oven and set it down on a long plate she had set out on the table.

"Okay, in like 2 minutes you can eat that, just don't do it right now or you will burn the shit out of your fingers. Trust me, I’ve done it plenty of times because I was impatient." She said, Varric laughing in response.

"Phew, okay." Evangelea wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead. "I can sit down for a minute while the stew cooks."

She sat down on the stool next to Varric.

"Seriously though, V. All joking aside, you know you can always talk to me about anything right? Anywhere, anytime. I'm always here for you."

"Thank you, Bubbles. Same to you."

Evangelea smiled and let out a happy sigh.

"Okay, I'm sick of staring at this bread. Let's go for it." She said.

She ripped off two big chunks of the warm bread, steam rising out of the middle as she ripped off the pieces. She handed Varric a piece and put her piece into her mouth right away.

"Mmmm, sooooo good." She said, her mouth full. “I’ll have to save Thom a piece of this to give him later or he’ll never forgive me.”

"Damn, E. This is fantastic!" Varric said after taking his first bite.

"Thank you! So glad to hear you say that." She said, visibly pleased, taking another big bite.

They sat in silence for a little while, happily chewing away at their bread and just enjoying each other's company.

"Stew should be about ready now!" She said, getting up from her seat. She opened the lid to the pot and the smell flooded the room, warm and spiced and delicious. Varric found himself feeling more emotional at this moment than he was expecting, the smell reminding him of happy memories in his past.

Evangelea poured the stew into two big bowls, stuck two big spoons in the bowls, and brought them to where they were sitting.

"Alright, dig in! It's _really_ delicious if you dip the bread into the stew, too."

Varric took his first bite of the stew and knew immediately that it was the best bite of food he had ever had in his life.

"Holy shit, this is absolutely amazing. I wish I'd known you could cook this well all this time or I wouldn't let anyone else make our food!" He said with a laugh.

Evangelea laughed back.  
"Ha, thank you! I'm so happy you like it. Makes me happy when you're happy. It is delicious, I'm really pleased with how it turned out."

"We're all so grateful for you you know, Bubbles. For everything. Thank you. For this amazing meal, for your friendship, for everything."

"Anything for you. You know I love you to death."

"I love you too." Varric said, smiling.

"To best friends." She said, lifting her glass.

"To best friends." Varric said as they clinked their glasses together.

"Now let's eat before Bull smells this food and finds us, I'm positive he has to be at least halfway here by now." Evangelea said.

They both laughed and took another delicious bite of their meal.


	19. From the Desk of Varric Tethras

From the desk of Varric Tethras:

We almost lost her today. Sure, we all brush with death on a daily basis around here, but we actually weren't sure if she'd survive this time. Writing's the only thing I know how to do to deal with how exhausting today has been.

Of course today wasn't the day I was with her on the battlefield like I am most days. Thom, Cole, and I usually are her chosen 3 to accompany her when we're away from Skyhold, but today was different because today was the day that Bubbles decided they were going to take down that high dragon in the Hinterlands.

This was not her first time facing a dragon. Or her second, third, or fourth for that matter. There were ten well known high dragons in Thedas that the Inquisition had been alerted to and this was the last one on their list. Why she had chosen to save that one for last I'll ask her eventually.

Funny story, actually. The first dragon she killed was the one terrorizing Crestwood, the one eating all the people passing through and killing all the livestock. It was made very clear that killing the dragon would save countless lives. But when she came back from killing it, she had tears in her eyes. I remember she sat next to me and put her face in her hands.

"I killed her and her babies, Varric. She was a mother." She said to me. Her face was filled with guilt because despite having killed so many people throughout her time as Inquisitor, she had never killed anyone who had not attacked her first or was not an immediate threat. She felt like killing an animal in its own home was wrong in some way, despite it needing to be done. She understood why, and she had killing down to an art form at this point, but took no pleasure in it. Seeing the pain on her face, still sprayed with blood and rain, just made my heart ache right along with her. I think animals were always sort of special to her. I've seen the joy on her face anytime she saw a stray animal around Skyhold, a cat or even a chicken passing by. Every time we saw a fennec in the Hinterlands I had to stop her from trying to pet it. 

I'm getting off track here. Today.

Lea's dragon-killing squad always consisted of herself, Dorian, Cassandra or The Iron Bull depending on whether Bull was busy helping the Chargers that day, and Thom. They were masterful at it, I have to admit. The stories I heard from her afterwards could fill up a volume of books. I’m going to write a book about her one day, I swear.

But today was different. 

Everything I know I've heard from Bull because Thom hasn't left her side for the last several hours.

Apparently, they were moments away from putting this dragon down for good and someone struck the final blow, knocking the dragon down to the ground. Unwilling to go down without a final act of rebellion, the dragon swung its tail hard and then collapsed to the floor and took its final breath. Lea was moving from her position to another one and wasn't expecting this movement considering the dragon's death was clearly seconds away and the dragon's tail hit her so hard that it sent her flying full force into the wall of rock on the other side of the small patch on top a cliff they were on. She hit the wall, her left side taking the brunt of the damage, and fell to the ground unconscious. They had no time to celebrate because it was immediately apparent that something had gone very, very wrong.

Luckily an Inquisition camp is a 2 minute run from the location of the fight and Bull scooped her up and got her there very quickly. The camp healer quickly determined that she was unconscious, but alive. She was bleeding pretty severely from her scalp and her left arm was covered in bruises. The only reason she didn't break any bones was that the barrier she had cast on herself was still operating at about 5% when she hit the wall and was most likely the reason she didn't die on impact, considering the speed she was going when she hit it.

The Hinterlands is about a 2-hour carriage ride away from Skyhold and when she arrived I felt the air change, I swear. The entire fortress was silent, save for a few nervous whispers. They immediately rushed her to Skyhold's healing quarters (the one that Evangelea insisted was built and supplied with anything it needed instead of the wounded being treated outside in the cold) and Skyhold's healer, supposedly the best healer in Thedas, quickly began taking care of her. She was eventually moved to her quarters after she was bandaged up, but she still hadn't woken up yet. Her quarters were filled with everyone in her inner circle, myself included.

Thom stayed seated on the edge of the bed the entire time, his face wracked with guilt and pain. We had already thought we lost her once at Haven and his face now was very similar to the face I saw on him that day, the day he finally confessed his feelings for her. His hands were wrapped around one of hers and I was sure I saw a tear fall down his cheek at some point.

Seeing everyone gathered in her room made it very apparent that this Inquisition could never hold together without her. Everyone in the room was a mess, it was clear on their faces even though everyone was handling the situation differently.

Cassandra was standing in the corner, biting her nails and pacing a little. Leliana and Josephine stood near the back corner of the room, talking quietly. Cullen stood leaning up against the entry to her balcony, not speaking but his face deeply concerned. Sera was pacing back and forth and it was the longest time I had ever seen her go without speaking. She was a ball of nervous energy, walking quickly back and forth, back and forth. The only time she spoke was when she got the healer for the 17th time to see why Evangelea hadn't woken up yet. Dorian and the Iron Bull stood in the corner near her bed, both of their arms crossed and their faces stern. They still hadn’t wiped off all the blood from their clothes because they did nothing but wait on word about her the moment they got back to Skyhold. Vivienne sat with her arms crossed in the chair behind Lea's desk, keeping her gaze fixed on her at all times. Cole and I sat on the small couch near her bed, and for a long time he didn't say anything which was very…not Cole-like of him.

"There's so much love in here." He said finally. "You all love her."

I couldn't help but smile a little when he said that. He was still learning how to be a real person but his bluntness was something that never disappeared even in the slightest.

"I think I love her too." He said to me with a very serious and concerned look on his face. He looked like he had just had an epiphany. "I don't think I've ever loved anyone before." He took a second to think about what he just said and then kept speaking.  
"Warm, soft, safe, sweet. She is the tie that binds us all, the smile that keeps us going, the laugh that eases our pain. She loves us and we love her back." 

"We sure do, kid." I said back to him. "We sure do."

He was right as usual, he had put into words what we were all thinking. We all love her and everyone was heartbroken not knowing whether she was going to wake up or not. I couldn’t let myself think about her dying, it was more than I could handle. I had to just believe that she’d make it through this, that she’d wake up and smile at me and we’d be making late night snacks and swapping stories again soon. I needed to think those things so I didn’t break down and cry too. I think the whole room was a little in denial and that’s why no one was speaking much, too afraid they’d break down. They had stopped the bleeding coming from Lea’s head and bandaged up her arm but she'd been unconscious for several hours now and we were all started to get really, really concerned.

"Awake." I heard Cole say and immediately after that I saw Lea shift slightly in her bed, making a small grunting sound. Thom almost jumped off the edge of the bed from joy and I saw him take her face in his hands.

"Lea, darling, we're here. Are you alright?" He said, his voice full of relief. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, seeing the love of his life almost die in front of him twice. Those two had been through enough together.

Everyone gathered around her bed quickly and I could've sworn for just a moment I even saw Sera and Vivienne smiling at one another, a truly marvelous sight considering they avoided each other like the plague regularly.

Lea's eyes opened and we saw those pretty purple eyes of hers look around the room, a small smile appearing on her tired face. 

"She's so happy to see us all, even though everything hurts." Cole said from beside me.

"What happened?" Lea said to Thom, her voice small and a little shaky.

"You got knocked out by the dragon at the end of the fight, darling. You're back in Skyhold and the healers fixed you up, we're all here now." Thom said back to her.

Lea attempted to move and let out a quick, pained breath.

"Don't move, darling. You'll only feel worse." Vivienne said, watching her closely from the end of her bed.

"I knew she'd never die on us." Sera said. "This whole Inquisition thing'd go to piss without her anyway."

"Charming choice of words as always, Sera." Dorian replied, but his words were playful rather than aggressive. Those two like each other deep down but bicker constantly, something that's always fun to watch. “But yes, I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see you awake.”

Lea took Thom’s hand in hers and smiled at him, and I could see him melting in front of her. It never failed to amaze me how just one look at her made him completely fall apart every single time. They've been together now for damn near a year, but someone like Lea is definitely hard to get used to. He still trips over his words whenever he speaks to her and can barely catch his breath when she's around. I watched them fall in love and it was a better love story than anything I could attempt to put in a book. Her life is almost like one big love story because everyone she meets falls in love with her a little bit for one reason or another.

I remember one night all of us were in the tavern drinking and having a few laughs and I remember her somehow managing to get the Iron Bull to dance with her. The dance she did was so ridiculous and I've never seen Bull laugh harder than I did that night.  
At some point we all fell in love with her and to see her almost taken away from us was more than we could bear, so the relief that flooded the room when she flashed that big smile of hers at us, head still covered in bloody bandages and bruises on her cheeks, was immediate and overwhelming. 

"Bull?" She said.

Bull quickly rushed up to the edge of her bed, trying to hide how emotional he (clearly) was.  
"Boss?"

"Did we win the fight?"

Bull's whole face lit up and he smiled at her.

"We sure did boss."

She smiled.

"Good. Thank you all for coming to check on me, it means the world to me. I love you guys."

"We love you too." Cole said, a small smile on his face.

Today is over now, and she's okay. She’s sleeping now and Thom is still with her, I’ll check on her again in the morning after she’s had a chance to rest some more. The healers said she'd need to stay in bed for a couple of days and that she should be back to normal in a few weeks.

And maybe no more dragons for a while.


	20. When We Took Care of You

Evangelea sat up in her bed and winced, forgetting again to not put weight on her left arm. It had been a few days since her encounter with the Hinterlands dragon and her body ached all over.

She looked over and saw that her bedside was empty, something surprising considering Thom had rarely left her side since she was hurt.  
She lifted up her shirt slightly and looked down at her left side which was bruised all over. She was wearing a soft white shirt and flowing lilac pants that were loose and easy to maneuver in. She hadn't left her bedroom for any reason other than to use the restroom in days and thought she could use a walk.

She stood up slowly and winced again at the pain she felt on her left leg. The right side of her body felt fine as the brunt of the impact was on the left side of her body. Her head had a constant dull ache from where it had smacked into the rocky wall but luckily the pain was the worst thing to come from that impact.

She exhaled deeply and attempted to take a step forward, putting most of the weight on her right leg. The pain was almost unbearable and she felt tears well up in her eyes. She sat back down on her bed, defeated. The sunlight shining into the room felt warm and comforting on her skin and she wanted nothing more than to get out of her quarters.

"Bubbles?" She heard from behind her.

She turned and saw Varric standing at the edge of the staircase leading up to her room.

"Bad time?" He said.

She smiled. "Not at all."

Varric walked up to her and looked at the bruises on her face. He noticed they were starting to lighten.

"You look like you're healing. How are you feeling?"

She shifted how she was sitting slightly and winced.  
"It hurts, honestly. I'm still in a lot of pain. I'll be okay though. How are you?" She said, a soft smile still on her face.

"I'm fine." Varric replied. He saw her restless expression and smiled.

"Up to get out of this room for a little while?"

Her eyes lit up, but almost immediately she looked concerned.

"More than anything. But how? I can't walk yet, I can't put any weight on my left leg." She said, confused.

"I'll be right back." Varric said, and walked out of the room.

A few minutes later Evangelea heard him coming up the stairs, making a sound like he was carrying something heavy.

She heard a loud thunk as what he was carrying hit the top of the staircase. It was a wooden chair with a purple cushion on the seat and four wheels on the bottom. There were beautifully intricate carvings along the sides of the chair of trees, flowers, and animals. A huge smile fell on her face when she saw it.

"The healer had this special ordered for you, it just arrived this morning. We all imagined you had to be getting a little stir-crazy cooped up in your room for so many days so we mentioned to her that this might be a good idea." Varric said as he walked up to her.

"We?" Evangelea asked.

"All of us! Me, Thom, Bull, Cole, Sera, everyone. Vivienne picked out the cushion, said it would look nice with your eyes or something. Solas designed the carvings, Bull picked out the wheels, and Thom made sure it was made of the highest quality materials that would be safest for you. Everyone had a hand in its design in some way."

Evangelea's eyes filled up with tears.  
"You all are just the sweetest most amazing people. Thank you."

Evangelea put her arms out and Varric walked closer to her. She hugged him with her right arm and he hugged her back, being careful to only hold on to her right side. She held him there for a moment and squeezed a little when she let go.

Varric found himself fighting back the urge to cry a bit himself. He was so relieved to just be here speaking to her, when only days earlier he thought he might've lost her forever.

"I couldn't imagine losing you, Bubbles. None of us could."

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. If crashing into a rock wall from the force of getting tail whipped by a dragon didn't kill me, I'm pretty sure I'm invincible. Plus, who else is going to make any decent food around here if I'm gone?" She teased.

Varric laughed and then pulled the wheelchair to the edge of her bed.

"How are we going to get this downstairs?" She asked.

"I thought of that." Varric said, smiling. He looked over to the stairs where Thom was walking up.

"Good morning darling!" Evangelea said, overjoyed to see him.

"Good morning sweetheart. Varric get you all set up?" Thom replied.

"This chair is so beautiful! I can't believe you all did this for me."

"Anything for you." Thom said with a smile. "I'm going to carry you down the stairs while Varric brings the chair down, alright? So you just need to let me know how best to hold on to you without it hurting too badly."

Evangelea thought for a moment and glanced at her left side, then at Tom's chest.

"If you just pick me up so my left side is pushed into your chest and my right side is facing out, that should be fine. That way you can hold tight onto my right side and that won't hurt, and the left side will be cushioned by your clothes. I can cast a barrier on my left side too, that should help."

Thom nodded. "Alright, let's try that."

Evangelea cast the barrier around herself and Thom very gently scooped her up into his arms, placing all the pressure on her right side. He kissed her forehead when he had her firmly in his arms and she beamed. This reminded him of the time he first picked her up and placed her in her tent at the Storm Coast. She curled up into him the exact same way she had that night.

"Is this alright?" Thom asked.

"Should be fine." She replied, smiling.

Thom carried her very slowly down the stairs until they reached the bottom, Varric following closely behind. 

Thom then set her down gently into her chair and she made a small pained noise upon being set down, but smiled at Thom immediately to reassure him that she was alright. Her barrier's blue light faded away slowly until it finally disappeared.

She adjusted how she was sitting slightly and put her feet in the two slots where they were designed to go. She sighed happily, running her fingers along the side where the carvings were. 

"It's so comfy, I love it." She said to Varric and Thom, her expression content. She looked comfortable, and Varric and Thom were relieved to see it.

"I have some things to take care of in the stables, but Varric's going to take you all around Skyhold. I know the fresh air will do wonders for you." Thom said. He took her hand and kissed it.

"Thanks, Varric." Thom said with a nod, and then walked away.

"Ready for a walk without the walking, Bubbles?" Varric said with a smile, taking the wheelchair's handles.

"So ready." She replied, slowly stretching her arms out above her. "I can't stand being cooped up in this building anymore. Let's go!"


	21. When You Met Nina

Varric and Evangelea were out going around Skyhold, him pushing her in her wheelchair. It was a beautiful day, the sun peaked out through big fluffy clouds and a warm breeze moved gently through the air.

Across the courtyard, Evangelea noticed a mother and daughter standing outside the entrance to the tavern.

"Good morning Inquisitor, Mr. Tethras." The mother said as Evangelea and Varric passed by.

Varric stopped pushing the wheelchair and nodded and smiled at the woman in response.

"Good morning!" Evangelea replied. "I don't believe we've met before. Your name is?"

"Lila, my lady. My husband Joshua and I are Skyhold's bakers."

"You're the ones who make all those amazing pastries that are always in the hall? Oh my goodness, they're all just incredible."

Lila smiled. "Why thank you, Inquisitor. Are you doing alright? I'm so sorry for what happened with the dragon. We were all so grateful you were alright."

"I'm doing much better. Thank you so much for asking! Every day I feel better and better."

"I'm very glad to hear that." Lila replied.

Evangelea looked down at Lila's daughter and smiled brightly at her.

"Hello little darling. How are you today?" She said.

The little girl clung tightly to her mother's leg, holding part of Lila's dress in one of her hands. She looked at Evangelea with big, bright, brown eyes that sparkled with curiosity. She didn't reply.

Lila put her hand on her daughter's shoulder and turned her gently towards Evangelea.

"Go on Nina, say hello to the Inquisitor. She has done so much for us and we're very grateful for her!"

"Nina, what a beautiful name!" Evangelea responded.

A small smile formed on Nina's face, and she gained the confidence to speak.

"I heard you're magic." Nina said softly and shyly.

Nina's mother laughed. "You mean she's a _mage_ , darling. That means she can do magic."

Evangelea's heart was warmed by the little girl. 

"If anyone is magic, I think it's you, my dear. And I can prove it." Evangelea said. "Nina, what's your favorite color?"

"Purple!" Nina replied excitedly.

"Really? Mine too!" Evangelea said, matching her excitement.

Evangelea reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, clear crystal.

"Now Nina, when I count to three I want you to touch this crystal, alright?"

Nina nodded, staring at the crystal with all the wonder in the world.

"One-two-three!"

Nina touched the crystal and quickly pulled her hand away. Immediately the crystal turned to a beautiful shade of purple.

"Wow!" Nina cried out joyfully. "How did I do that?"

"Because you're magic, of course! Here, it's yours."

Nina took the crystal from Evangelea's hands and hugged it close to her.

Nina's mother smiled softly at her beaming daughter. "What do we say, Nina?"

"Thank you Miss Inquisitor!" Nina said, pronouncing "inquisitor" very slowly to make sure she said it correctly.

"Of course! It was absolutely lovely to meet both of you. If there's anything your family ever needs, let me know any time."

"Thank you, Inquisitor. You have no idea how much everything you're doing means to all of us here. You are truly a blessing. I know Nina will be talking about this for the rest of day."

"She's an absolute doll. You've done a beautiful job raising her. Have a wonderful rest of your day!"

"To you as well, my lady." 

Nina waved goodbye and her and Lila walked away.

Varric stood next to Evangelea for a moment saying nothing. He was taken aback by the entire exchange he had just witnessed. He was terrible with children and never had the slightest clue what to say to them. He had never seen Evangelea interact with a child before and, unsurprisingly, she handled it just as sweetly and kindly as she handled every other person she encountered. It always seemed so effortless to her, he thought.

"Wow, I had no idea you were so good with kids, Bubbles." Varric said.

"I have a little sister, she's 15 years younger than me. Athena is her name, but we call her Athy. She's the best little thing in the whole world, I absolutely adore her. So I've had plenty of experience with children. Children are so spectacular because they haven't been hardened by the world yet. They still have that wonder and curiosity for life, that sparkle in their eyes. It's such a fantastic thing."

Varric was moved by her words. He had never thought of it that way. Every day he seemed to get a new perspective on the world from her.

"Did Nina actually change the color of the crystal?" Varric asked, curious.

"The crystal changes colors by heat. I had it on me because I was going to sell it, actually. They grow everywhere in the mountainous regions we visit. I heated up the crystal in my hand to the exact temperature that it needed to turn purple. But I never told you that. She did it because she's magic, right?"

"Right." Varric replied with a smile.


	22. When We Got Ready Twice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is NSFW!

About two weeks had passed, and Evangelea was almost completely healed from her injuries. Lots of bedrest (far more than she preferred), constant help from her friends, and the exceptional work of Skyhold's healer had gotten her back in fighting shape in about a month. She had some light residual bruising on her left arm, but that was about it. 

"Are you ready, darling?" Thom said, adjusting the collar on his shirt.

"Just about!" Evangelea replied from her closet as she changed her clothes.

"Thom my love, can you come help me with something?" She called out.

Thom walked over and found her with her back turned to him. The dress she had on was completely unzipped in the back. Thom was thrilled to see her left side was no longer battered and bruised, it had returned to normal. He immediately found himself breathless as he stared at her exposed skin. 

"I-um," He began, taking the zipper in his hands. It would have pained him at that moment to zip her dress up, so instead he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed down her back along her spine.

She shivered at his touch. She had been recovering for so long that they had not had a chance to touch like this in quite some time, which was _very_ unusual for them. Any light touch had caused her great pain, and for the first time in weeks, she felt only pleasure when his arms wrapped around her. 

She let out a happy sigh as he touched her. She knew immediately that they'd be late to the party at the tavern now.

Thom swept Evangelea off her feet and a big laugh escaped her, causing even more butterflies to flutter in his stomach. His mind was racing and he was desperate to touch her more and more.

He laid her down on the bed they now permanently shared and then quickly attempted to untuck his collared shirt. Evangelea, with a sultry smile, pulled him down to her by his neck and their lips met. Their kisses grew frenzied and their tongues found one another. Evangelea let out a breathy sigh and kissed him harder, desperate for as much physical contact as possible. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and she kept him as close to her as possible. She wanted to kiss him forever, to never let his lips part from hers. She had wanted to kiss him the second they met and since then her appetite for him was insatiable. 

Thom's blood felt like it was on fire, burning at her touch. As the months went by he only found his love for her growing stronger. He had never imagined anyone could do what she did to him, that he could need another person so desperately.

Their lips parted for a moment so they could take a breath and Thom immediately buried his lips into her neck. She moaned softly, feeling the little hairs stand up on her neck as his teeth grazed her skin. He kissed the sensitive skin behind her ear and she gasped. She was completely under his control, breathlessly pleading for more. 

She worked to pull his shirt off of him as he moved his kiss down her jawline, eventually working his way back to her lips. Every time his lips met hers relief washed through them both. It was as if a drug was coursing through their veins and they simply couldn't get enough of it. Together they undid his belt and threw his pants onto the floor.

He had pulled the straps of her dress down and kissed every inch of her newly exposed chest, gently pulling each of her nipples with his teeth. She moaned and gasped, desperately moving her hands up and down his back to touch as much skin as she could.

"I've missed you so much..." Thom growled as he made his way back into her neck, sucking gently on the delicate skin between words.

"Oh Thom...Oh Thom I've missed you..." Evangelea breathed, dizzy with stimulation. 

"Make love to me." She whispered into his ear.

He needed no further instruction. He moved up the fabric of her dress and pulled down the rest of her clothing, leaving her bared and ready for him. He saw a soft, blue and purple bruise on the skin covering the left side of her hip and kissed it gently. He moved his mouth down and kissed the skin just above her most sensitive area. He moved even further down and sucked gently, reeling in delight as he watched her arch her back and moan in response. He worked her with his tongue and she cried out in pleasure as he rendered her helpless to him. He expertly and skillfully manipulated his mouth around her until she couldn't take it anymore. She lifted up her pelvis and cried his name again and again.

Watching her was more than he could bear now. He eased himself into her and she sighed with joy upon his entry, still panting from her climax moments ago. He had needed to be so gentle and careful with her for weeks, and while this was something he was more than happy to do, he reveled in his ability to ravage her now the way he so desperately wanted to.

He thrusted into her again and again. Every time he made love to her it was as if he had forgotten how incredible she felt, how perfectly their bodies formed together.

Her hair, which had been styled for the party, fell out in shining silver waves across the pillows. She knew she'd have to restyle it later. She didn't care.

They both gasped and panted as they let out a month's worth of fear, stress, exhaustion and tension. 

She took his face in her hands and pulled him towards her to kiss him again, letting out heavy breaths between kisses.

He lifted up one of her legs and pushed into her, deeper and faster. Her dress spilled out around her thighs, soft blue cotton swaying with his movements.

He had reached his breaking point, he buried his face into her shoulder and cried out. They laid there for a moment, silent except for their heavy sighs.

He moved himself next to her and kissed her again. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed for several more minutes as their breathing returned to normal.

"You have no idea how much I needed that." Evangelea said as she nuzzled into his shoulder, kissing it softly.

Thom pulled apart from her slightly and took her chin in his hand.

"I love you more than life itself, Lea."

"Mmm." She hummed happily.

"I might just love you more." She teased, winking at him.

They laid contently in each other's arms for a few moments.

"We should probably get ready....again...for the party now, huh?" She said softly.

Thom laughed.


	23. When You Helped Cullen

Evangelea walked through the door to Cullen's quarters and found him looking at his bookshelf. His eyes were glazed over and he looked pale, so she was immediately concerned.

"Hello Commander." She said, walking up next to him.

"Oh! Inquisitor!" Cullen exclaimed, startled.

"You said you needed to see me. Are you alright? You don't look well."

"Yes, well, no. Well, I will be."

Evangelea watched as his gaze darted between her and the ground, and she grew more worried by the second.

"Please, tell me what's going on Cullen. I'm worried about you."

Cullen placed both of his hands on his desk, steadying himself.

"As you know quite well, I used to be a templar. I've been taking lyrium for years. But when I joined the Inquisition I...I decided to give it up."

Evangelea stared back at him, shocked. She knew what the effects of lyrium withdrawal could be, and death was not uncommon for templars who quit lyrium.

"Couldn't that kill you?" She said quietly, her mind racing.

"I'm taking it very slowly, and before you ever came into the picture I asked Cassandra to keep an eye on me in case anything...goes wrong."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I'm...not sure. I suppose I didn't want to trouble you with it, I just-"

Suddenly Cullen's knees buckled and he quickly gripped onto the table to stabilize himself.

"Whoa! Hey, sit down." Evangelea said, quickly taking Cullen by his shoulders and moving him to the middle of the room. 

They sat down on the floor together and Evangelea put her arm around his shoulder. Cullen put his head down and began to cry, his breathing growing rapid and his body shaking all over.

Evangelea stayed silent, keeping her arms wrapped around Cullen tight as he cried. After a few minutes, his cries grew quieter and his breathing returned to normal.

"I'm so sorry, Inquisitor. You shouldn't have to see your Commander like this."

"You aren't just a Commander, Cullen. You're a person and you're going through something extremely difficult and traumatic right now. You're my friend and part of the Inquisition family and we're going to get through this together, no matter what it takes."

Cullen sniffed and wiped his eyes. 

"I...would understand if you wanted someone to take my place right now."

Evangelea smiled softly at him, and when he looked up at her, her bright and hopeful purple eyes gave him a sense of comfort he had not felt in a long time.

"Are you kidding?" Evangelea began, shaking his shoulder gently. "You are the best Commander Thedas could ever dream of having lead this Inquisition and there's no way you're getting out of the job now." 

She flashed her big smile at him and he let out a sound that was both a laugh and a cough at the same time, still getting the rest of his tears out. He was grateful for the light-hearted moment after such a serious few minutes.

"Thank you, Inquisitor. I promise this is only temporary. I won't let you down, let the Inquisition down."

Evangelea hugged his shoulder tightly with her arm. 

"I know you won't. I never had a doubt. Now, I want to get you over to the healer and have her take a look at you. You look dehydrated and exhausted. When's the last time you ate something?"

Cullen paused for a moment.

"Honestly, I can't remember."

"See? Not good. We're going to get you fixed up and after you finish up with the healer and getting some food in you, I want you to go get some rest. I'll make it known that the Commander is not to be bothered for the rest of the evening, Inquisitor's orders."

He looked down at the ground in front of him for a moment, deep in thought.

"Inquisitor, I would feel better if you didn't tell anyone about this for the time being. You and Cassandra are the only ones who know right now, and I'd like to keep it that way so I can tell everyone on my own time.'

"Of course, I completely understand. But Cullen-one last thing I want to ask you okay?"

"Yes?" Cullen replied, his eyes still misty and his cheeks flushed.

"Please come to me if you feel like you're not doing well again. We can prevent days like today from happening if you come to me right when you're starting to feel this bad, alright? I'd hate to know this happened again when I could've been there to help you. I don't care what I'm doing or where I am, I want to hear from you if you have troubles again, alright?"

Cullen smiled at her. It was the first time he had smiled in weeks, he realized.

"Thank you, Inquisitor. I will."


	24. When Your Friends (and the Ocean) Helped

The Inquisition's members found themselves at The Storm Coast again, this time here for some political negotiations with a local arl. Evangelea suggested that a few days near the ocean may be good for the entire crew, so the core members of the Inquisition went along with her.

Evangelea sat on the shore of a private beach in the back of the estate they were visiting. She had her arms wrapped around her knees as she watched the cold ocean waves wet her feet. The air was unusually calm for the area they were in, with only a light breeze gently moving the strands of hair near her face.

Sera, bored by the diplomacy as always, found Evangelea outside and sat beside her, digging her feet into the sound.

"There's you, yeah? What'cha doin'?"

"Hi Sera," Evangelea began, a soft smile on her face. "I'm just thinking, enjoying the ocean. I miss it sometimes back at Skyhold."

"It's nice for a big, cold puddle I s'pose." Sera noticed a twinge of something unusual in Evangelea's eyes, a noticeable lack of the spark that was always behind her gaze.

Sera leaned over and gently pushed Evangelea's shoulder with hers.

"You alright, Quizzy? You don't seem right."

Evangelea leaned backwards, putting both of her arms behind her. She shut her eyes, taking a big breath in and enjoying the salt in the air on her skin. She opened her eyes slowly, noticing a growing look of concern on Sera's normally carefree face.

"I'm alright, honest. Just...we're getting close to this all being over, you know? We just got back from all that Well of Sorrows craziness a few weeks ago and I'm still having to wrap my head around the whole thing."

"Good thing you gave that creepy thing's knowledge or whatever spookyness was inside of there to Morrigan instead of taking it yourself."

"Yeah, something about the whole thing just felt terribly off to me. Like, even though we got Abelas' permission, like we were taking something so powerful without understanding it in the slightest. But, Morrigan insisted it was the best thing for her to take it and I sure didn't want to, so I guess it worked out? I hope, anyway. I've just had a lot on my mind lately. We took care of Samson but I know that only put a dent in Corypheus' defenses and we still have to figure out how to deal with his dragon and the eluvians and-oh, I'm sorry. Don't mind my worrying, I'm just rambling on."

Sera felt a wave of compassion wash over her for her friend. Her normally sweet and silly companion, for the first time, really looked like she had the weight of the world on her, and Sera was going to have none of that.

"I won't have you worryin', I will not. I refuse. Now, get off your wet arse and let's go do something stupid."

Evangelea laughed, and as soon as Sera saw her big smile reappear, she couldn't help but smile herself.

"Hey, you two coming back inside? The grub's almost ready!" The Iron Bull called out from inside the estate.

"Hey! This one over here was bein' mopey and worryin', unacceptable right?"

The Iron Bull's expression quickly turned to a sympathetic and silly one.

He approached the girls with his arms folded and a teasing smile on his face.

"Our Inquisitor? Our Inquisitor Evangelea Trevelyan is moping?"

Evangelea laughed. "I was not moping! I was just-"

Evangelea's laughter turned into joyful shrieks as The Iron Bull scooped her up and ran straight into the ocean with her in his arms. He found a place that was deep enough and despite her loud laughter and cries for help, he dropped her with a loud plop into the ocean.

She came up to the surface, coughing from her laughter.

The Iron Bull, who stood about two feet taller than her, only had water up to just below his knees and his booming laughter filled the air.

"There, that should've washed any of that gloomy shit off!" He cried.

From a few feet away Sera was bent over laughing.

"I'm going to kill you both!" Evangelea teased, walking towards the shore again. 

The doors to the estate opened again and Thom poked his head out of the doorway. He immediately noticed a soaked Evangelea with a silly pout on her face and couldn't help but laugh.

"Oy! What'd you two scoundrels do to my lady, huh?"

"We were just doing a bit a' cleansin', to get rid of some of those worries of hers." Sera yelled back at him.

"I'm gonna kill 'em!" Evangelea said, still trudging through the water to get back to the shore.

Thom walked back inside and then quickly returned holding a towel. Once Evangelea made it to the shore he walked up to her and wrapped the towel around her tightly. She kissed his cheek, leaving it wet and salty. He didn't care one bit. Soaked to the bone and feigning rage, Thom found her absolutely adorable.

"You're awful pretty when you're wet and pissed off, you know that?"

Evangelea laughed and shoved him with her hip.

"Oh, shut up." She joked.

"In all seriousness, thank you. Both of you. Things have just being weighing on me a little more so than usual lately and I'm trying to figure out how to make all this work."

"Hey, that's what you've got us for, okay boss? You're never doing any of those alone." Bull said.

"Yeah, that. Because we love you and junk." Sera said with a teasing tone, but with all the sincerity in the world.

"Now go dry off so we can eat, you look ridiculous." Bull said.

Evangelea created a small fireball in her hand and launched it at Bull's shoulder. In the other hand, water filled up her hand and she flung it at Sera's arm, soaking it.

"Not fair! Magic is not a fair play, you cheated!" Sera cried out, laughing.

"Ouch! You-ah, okay I deserved that." Bull said, rubbing the spot the fireball had just hit.

Bull's skin was incredibly thick and tough and she knew it would do nothing but startle him, and she, Thom, Bull, and Sera all laughed.

"Thanks, you guys. Let's go eat, I'm starving."

"After you, our illustrious leader." Bull said, motioning to the doors in an overly grand gesture.

"And you'd better not forget it." Evangelea teased with a wink as she walked in the house, flashing them her big smile.

"That's my girl!" Thom said with a laugh.

 _She's smiling again. Mission accomplished._ Sera thought, a soft smile on her face.


End file.
